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THE

H I S T O R Y

OF THE

DECLINE and FALL

OF THE

ROMAN EMPIRE.

VOLUME THE THIRD.

THE

HISTORY

OF THE

DECLINE AND FALL

OF THE

ROMAN EMPIRE.

By EDWARD GIBBON, Efq;
VOLUME THE THIRD.

LONDON:

PRINTED -FOR W. STRAHAN ; AND T. CADELL, IN THE STRAND*

MDCCLXXXI.

TABLE of CONTENTS

OF THE

THIRD VOLUME.

A.D. > Page

CHAP. XXVII. 380— 394. Edicts of Theodofius againft the

Heretics - 24

Death of Gratian.— Ruin of Arianifm.— ^ Execution of Prifcillian and his Affoci-

St. Ambrofe. — Firjl civil War againft ates - - 26

Maximus Characler, Adminiftration, 375-397- Ambrofe, Archbifhop of Milan 29

1 -n c , r — . j7 r 28c His fuccefsful Oppofition to the Emprefs

and Pennance of Theodofius. — Death of 9 3 T -_. rr 1

J J J Juftina 30

Valentinian \\.— Second, civil War , againft ^7 Maximus invades Italy - 36

Eugenius. — Death of Theodofius. Flight of Valentinian - - 38

Theodofius takes Arms in the Caufe of

A.D. Page Valentinian - - ib.

379— 383- pHARACTER and Con- 388 Defeat and Death of Maximus 40

duel of the Emperor Gratian 1 Virtues of Theodofius - - 42

His Defects - - 2 Faults of Theodofius - - 44

383 Difcontent of the Roman Troops 4 387 The Sedition of Antioch - 45

Revolt of Maximus in Britain - 5 Clemency of Theodofius - 48

383 Flight and Death of Gratian - 7 390 Sedition and Mafiacre of Thefialonica 49

3S3 — 387- Treaty of Peace between Maximus 388 Influence and Conduct of Ambrofe 51

and Theodofius 8 390 Pennance of Theodofius - '53

380 Baptifm and orthodox Edicts of Theodo- 388—391. Generofity of Theodofius 55

fius - - 10 391 Character of Valentinian - 56

340 — 380. Arianifm of Conflantinople 13 392 His Death - - 5S

378 Gregory Nazianzen accepts the million of 392 — 394. Ufurpation of Eugenius 59

Conflantinople - 16 Theodofius prepares for War - 60

380 Ruin of Arianifm at Conflantinople 17 394 His Victory over Eugenius - 61

^81 In the Eaft 19 395 Death of Theodofius - - 6>

The Council of Conflantinople 20 Corruption of the Times - 66

Retreat of Gregory Nazianzen - 22 The Infantry lay afide their Armour 67

Yoi.. HL * a C H A P.

C O N T

CHAP. XXVIII.

Final DeftruElion of Paganifm. — Introduc-
tion of the Worfhip of Saints, and Relics,

among the Chrijlians.

A. D. Page

578—395. The Deftruftion of the Pagan Re-
ligion - - 69
State of Paganifm at Rome - 70
384 Petition of the Senate for the Altar of

Victory - - 73

388 Converfion of Rome - 75
381 Destruction of the Temples in the Pro-
vinces - "77

The Temple of Serapis at Alexandria 82

389 Its final Deftru&ion - - 83
393 The Pagan Religion is prohibited 87

Oppreffed - - 89

390 — 420. Finally extinguifhed - 91
The Worfhip of the Chriftian Martyrs 93
General Reflections - - 96

I. Fabulous Martyrs and Relics ib.

II. Miracles - - 97

III. Revival of Polytheifm - 99

IV. Introduction of Pagan Ceremonies ioi

CHAP. XXIX.

Final Divifion of the Roman Empire between
the Sons of Theodofius. — Reign of Arcadius
and Honorius. — Adminiftration of Rufi-
nus and Stilichc. — Revolt and Defeat of
Gildo in Africa.

A. D. Page

395 Divifion of the Empire between Arcadius

and Honorius - - 104

386 — 395. Character and Adminiftration of

Rufinus - - ioc

395 He oppreffes the Eaft - - 109

He is difappointed, by the Marriage of

Arcadius - - 112

Character of Stilicho, the Minifter, and

General of the Weftern Empire 114
385—408. His MiUcary Command 1x6

E N T S.

A. D. Page

395 The Fall and Death of Rufinus 118

396 Difcord of the two Empires - 120
386 — 398. Revolt of Gildo in Africa 123

397 He is condemned by the Roman Senate 125

398 The African War - - 126
398 Defeat and Death of Gildo - 128
398 Marriage, and Character of Honorius 131

CHAP. XXX.

Revolt of the Goths. — They plunder Greece.
Two great Invafions of Italy by Alaric
and Radagaifus. — They are repulfed by
Stilicho. — The Germans over-run Gaul.
— Ufurpation of Conflanline in the Weft.

— Difgrace and Death of Stilicho.

A . D. Page

395 Revolt of the Goths - - 134

396 Alaric marches into Greece - 136

397 He is attacked by Stilicho - 140
Efcapes to Epirus - - 141

398 Alaric is declared Matter-general of the

eaftern Illyricum - - 142

Is proclaimed King of the Vifigoths 144

400-— 4-03'. lie Invader Iialy - ib.

403 Honorius flies from Milan 147

He is purfued and befieged by the Goths 148

403 Battle of PolJentia - - i^o
Boldnefs and Retreat of Alaric 152

404 The Triumph of Honorius at Rome 155
The Gladiators abolifhed -
Honorius fixes his Refidence at Ravenna 157

400 The Revolutions of Scythia - 160

405 Emigration of the northern Germans 161
4:6 Radagaifus invades Italy - 163

Befieges Florence - 164

Threatens Rome - 165

406 Defeat and Deftrudtion of his Army by

Stilicho - - ib.
The Remainder of the Germans invade

Gaul - - 168

407 Defolation of Gaul - - 170
Revolt of the Britifh Army - 173
Conftantine is acknowledged in Britain

and Gaul - - 174

408 He

G O N T

E N T S.

A.D. Page
408 He reduces Spain - - 175

404—408. Negotiation of Alaric and Stilicho 177
408 Debates of the Roman Senate - 179
Intrigues of the Palace - 181

408 Difgrace and Death of Stilicho 182
His Memory perfecuted - 184

The Poet Claudian among the Train of
Stilicho's Dependents - 1S6

CHAP. XXXI.

Iwvafion of Italy by Alaric. — Manners of
the Roman Senate and People. — Rome is
thrice befieged^ and at length pillaged by
the Goths. — Death of Alaric. — The Goths
evacuate Italy. — Fall of Confiantine. —
Gaul and Spain are occupied by the Bar-
barians.— Independence of Britain.

A. D.

408 Weaknefs of the Court of Ravenna
Aiaric marches to Rome
Hannibal at the Gates of Rome
Genealogy of the Senators
The Anician Family
Wealth of the Roman Nobles
Their Manners

Character of the Roman Nobles, by Ara-

mianus Marcellinus
State and Character of the People of

Rome

Public Diftribution of Bread, Bacon, Oil,

Wine, &c.
Ufe of the public Baths
Games and Spectacles
Populoufnefs of Pome

408 Firft Siege of Rome by the Goths
Famine

Plague
Superftition

409 Alaric accepts a Ranfom, and raifes the

Siege -
Fruitlefs Negociations for Peace

Page
190
192
194

»95
197
199
201

202

211

212

214
215
217
219
220
221
ib.

222
225

A.D. Pag.
Change and Succeflion of Minifters 226

409 Second Siege of Rome by the Goths 229
Attalus is created Emperor by the Goths

and Romans - - 231

410 He is degraded by Alaric - 233
Third Siege and Sack of Rome by the

Goths - - 235

Refpecl of the Goths for the Chriftian

Religion - - 236

Pillage and Fire of Rome - 238

Captives and Fugitives - 241

Sack of Rome by the Troops of Charles V. 244
410 Alaric evacuates Rome and ravages

Italy - - 246

408 — 412. PolTeffion of Italy by the Goths 248

410 Death of Alaric - - 249

412 Adolphus, King of the Goths, concludes

a Peace with the Empire, and marches
into Gaul - - 250

414 His Marriage with Placidia - 251
The Gothic Treafures - 254

410— 417. Laws for the Relief of Italy and

Rome - - 255

413 Revolt and Defeat of Heraclian, Count

of Africa - - 256

409 — 413 Revolutions of Gaul and Spain 258
Character and Victories of the General

Conftantius - - 260

411 Death of the Ufurper Conftantine 262

411 — 416. Fall of the Ufurpers, Jovinus, Se-

baftian, and Attalus - ib.

409 Invafion of Spain by the Suevi, Vandals,

Alani, &c. - - 264

414 Adolphus, King of Goths, marches into

Spain - - 267

415 His De^th - - ib.

415 — 4 8 The Goths conquer «nd reftore

Spain - - 268

419 Their Eftabliihment in Acjuitain 270
The Burgundians - - 271

420, &a> State of the Barbarians in Gaul 272
409 Revolt of Britain and Armonca
409 - 449. State of Britain
418 Aflembly of the Seven Provinces of Gaul :;S

273
275

a 2

C H .1 P.

CO N T

E N T S.

CHAP. XXXII.

Arcadius Empercr cf the Eaft. — Adminiftra-
tion and Difgrace of Eutropius. — Revolt
ofGainas. — V erf edition of St. John Chry-
foftom. — Thecdofius II. Emperor of the
Eaft.— His Sifter Pulcheria.—His Wife
Eudocia. — The Perfian Wary and Di'

vifton of Armenia.

A.D. Page

395 — 1453. The Empire of the Eaft: - 281

395 — 408. Reign of Arcadius - ib.

595 — 399. Adminiftration and Character of

Eutropius - - 283

His Venality and Injuftice - 286

Ruin of Abundantius - 2S8

Deftruction of Timafius - ib.

397 A cruel and unjuft Law of Treafon 290

399 Rebellion of Tribigild - 292
Fall of Eutropius - - 295

400 Confpiracy and Fall of Gainas 297

398 Election and Merit of St. John Chryfoftom 301
-398 — 403. His Adminiftration and Defects 303

403 Chryfoftom is perfecuted by the Emprefs

Eudocia - - 305

Popular Tumults at Conftantinople 306

404 Exile of Chryfoftom - - 308

407 His Death - - - 309
438 His Relics tranfported to Conftantinople 310

408 Death of Arcadius - - ib.
His fuppofed Teftament - 311

408 — 415. Adminiftration of Anthemius 312
— 4-3. Character and Adminiftration of

Pulcheria - - 314

Education and Character of Theodofius

the Younger - - 316"

421 — 460. Character and Adventures of the

Emprefs Eudocia - - 318

422 The Perfian War - - 321

431 — 440. Armenia divided between the Per-

fians and the Romans - * 323

CHAP. XXXIII.

Death of Hcnorius. — Vakntinian III. Em-
percr of the Eaft. — Adminiftration of his

Mother Placidia. — Mtius and Boniface.

— Conqueji of Africa by the Vandals.

A.D. Page

23 Laft Years and Death of Honorius 327
423 — 425. Elevation and Fall of the Ufurper

John - - 329
425 — 455. Valentinian III. Emperor of the

Weft - - - 330
425 — 450. Adminiftration of his Mother

Placidia - - 332
Hsr two Generals, JEtius and Boni-
face - - - ib-

427 Error and Revolt of Boniface in Africa 334

428 He invites the Vandals - ib.
Genferic king of the Vandals - 335

429 He lands in Africa - - 336
Reviews his Army - - ib.
The Moors - - - 357
The Donatifts - - 33 S

430 Tardy Repentance of Boniface 340
Defolation of Africa - - 341

430 Siege of Hippo - - 342.

430 Death of St. Auguftin — - ib.

431 Defeat and Retreat of Boniface 344

432 His Death - - - 345
431 — 439. Progrefs of the Vandals in Africa ib.
439 They furprife Carthage - 347

African Exiles and Captives - 34.8

Fable of the Seven Sleepers - 350

C PI A P. XXXIV.

The Characler, Conquefts, and Court of At-
tila, King of the Huns. — Death of Theo-
dofiu.s the Younger. — Elevation of Mar.
dan to the Empire of the Eaft.

A. D. ' Page
376-433. The Huns - - 354

Their Eftabliihment in modern Flun-

g-T " " 355
433—453- Reign of" AtciIa - 356
His Figure and Character - 357
He difcovers the Sword of Mars 359
Acquires the Empire of Scythia and Ger-
many - - 360
430—440. The

C O N T

E N T S

AtV; P^pe

430—440. The Huns invade Perfia 362

441, &c. They attack the Eartern Empire 363

Ravage Europe, as far as Conftantinople 365

The Scythian, or Tartar Wars 366

State of the Captives - 369

446 Treaty of Peace between Attila, and the

Eaftern Empire - - 372

Spirit of the Azimuntines - 374

Embaifies from Attila to Conftantinople 375

448 The Embafly of Maximin to Attila 377

The royal Village and Palace - 381
The Behaviour of Attila to the Roman

Amba/T.idors - - 383

The royal Fea/ls - - - 384

Confpiracy of the Romans againft the

Life of Attila - - 387
He reprimands, and forgives the Em-
peror - - 388
450 Thecdofius the Younger dies 389
Is fucceeded by Marcian - - 390

CHAP, XXXV.

bivafion of Gaul by Attila. — He is repulfed
by Aitius and the Vifigoths. — Attila in-
vades and evacuates Italy. — The Deaths
of Attila, AZtiuSy ana Valentinian the
Third.

A.D.

450 Attila threatens both Empires, and pre-

pares to invade Gaul
433 — 454. Character and Adminiftration of
iEtius

His Connexion with the Huns and
Alani

419 — 451. The Vifigoths in Gaul under the

Reign of Theodoric
435 — 439. The Goths befiege Narbonne, &c.
420—451. The Franks in Gaul under the

Merovingian Kings
The Adventures of the Princefs Honoria

451 Attila invades Gaul and befieges Or-

leans v

592
393

395

397
ib.

400
4°3

40 z

A, D. P/ge
Alliance of the Romans and Vifigoths 408
Attila retires to the Plains of Cham-
pagne - - - 410
Battle of Chalons - .-413
Retreat of Attila - - 415-

452 Invafion of Italy by Attila - 417
Foundation of the Republic of Venice 420
Attila gives Peace to the Romans 423

453 The Death of Attila - - 425
DeftroAion of his Empire -. 427

454 Valentinian murders the Patrician iEtius 429
. ■ ravifiies the Wife of Maxi-

mus - - 431

455 Death of Valentinian - - 432
Symptoms of the Decay and Ruin of the

Roman Government - - ib.

CHAP. XXXVI.

Sack of Rome by Genferic, King of the Van-
dals.— His naval Depredations. — Succef-
fion of the laft Emperors of the V/efl, Maxi-
mus, Avitus, Majorian, Severus, Anthe-
mius, Olybrius, Glycerins, Nepos, Au-
gujlulus. — Total Extinction of the IVefiern
Empire. — Reign ofOdoacer, the firfl Bar-
barian King of Italy.

A. IX Page
439— -445 . Naval Power of the Vandals 435
455. The Character and Reign of the Em-
peror Maximus - - 436
455 His Death - - - 43S

455 Sack of Rome by the Vandals 440
Th? Emperor Avitus - - 443

453— 466. Character of Theodoric, King of

the Vifigoths - - 4+5

456 His Expedition into Spain - 44S

456 Avitus is depofed -• - 450

457 Character and Elevation of Majorian 452
457—461. His Salutary Laws - 455

The Edifices of Rome - - 457

457 Mnjorian prepares to invade Africa 459

The Lofs of his Fleet- - - 46*

461 His Death - 4f,+

461 — 467. RkNner

C O N T

E N T S.

A.D. Page

461 — 467. Ricimer reigns under the Name of

Severus - - 464

Revolt of Marcellinus in Dalmatia 465
of JSgidius, in Gaul - . 466

361 — 467. Naval War of the Vandals ib.
4.62, &c. Negociations with the Eaftern Empire 468
457 — 474. Leo, Emperor of the Eaft 469
467 — 472. Anthemius, Emperor of the Weft 471
The Feftival of the Lupercalia 473
468 Preparations againft the Vandals of

Africa - - - 476

Failure of the Expedition - 478

462— 472. Conquefts of the Vifigoths in

Spain and Gaul
468 Trial of Arvandus

471 Difcord cf Anthemius and Ricimer

472 Olybrius, Emperor of the Weft
472 Sack of Rome, and Death of Anthemius

Death of Ricimer

of Olybrius

472 — 475. Julius Nepos and Glycerius, Em-
perors of the Weft

475 The Patrician Oreftes

476 His Son Auguftulus, the laft Emperor of

the Weft - - 493

476 — 490. Odoacer, King of Italy 494
476 or 479 Extinction of the Weftern Em-
pire - -
Auguftulus is baniflied to the Lucullan
Villa

Decay of the Roman Spirit
476 -490. Character anJ Reign of Odoacer
Miferahle State of Italy

480
482
485
488
489
490
ib.

ib.

492

496

49^
500
ib.

502

CHAP. XXXVII.

Origin, Progrefs, and EffeEls of the mo-
nafic Life. — Converfion of the Barbarians
to Chrijlianity and Arianifm. — Perfecution
of the Vandals in Africa. — Extinction of
Arianifm among the Barbarians.

A. D. Page
. I. Institution of the Monastic

Life ... 505

Origin of the Monks - - ib.

A. D. Pige

305 Antony, and the Monks of Egypt 507

341 Propagation of the monaftic Life at Rome 509

328 Hilarion in Paleftine - - 510

360 Balil in Pontus - - ib.

370 Martin in Gaul - - ib.
Caufes of the rapid Progrefs of the mo-
naftic Life - - 511
Obedience of the Monks - 514
Their Drefs and Habitations - 516
Their Diet - - 517
Their manual Labour - 518
Their Riches - - 520
Their Solitude - - 521
Their Devotion and Vifions - 522
The Ccenobites and Anachorets 523

395 — 451. Simeon Stylites - 525

Miracles and Worfhip of the Monks 526

Superftition of the Age - - 527

II. Conversion of the Barbarians ib.

360, &c. Ulphilas, Apoftle of the Goths 528

400, &c. The Goths, Vandals, Burgundians,

&c. embrace Chriftianity - 529
Motives of their Faith - "53°

Effects of their Converfion - 532

They are involved in the Arian Herefy 534

General Toleration - - 535

Arian Perfecution of the Vandals 536

429 — 477. Genferic - - ib.

477 Hunneric - - ib.

484 Gundamund • - - 537

496 Thorifmund - - ib.

523 Hilderic - - ib.

530 Gelimer - - ib.
A general View of the Perfecution in

Africa - - 538

Catholic Frauds - " 543

Miracles - 545

500—700. The Ruin of Arianifm among the

Barbarians - - 547

577—584. Revolt and Martyrdom of Herme-

negild in Spain - - ib.

586 589. Converfion of Recared and the

Vifigoths of Spain - 549

600, &c. Converfion of the Lombards of Italy 551

612 — 712. Perfecution of the Jews in Spain 552

Conclufion - - - 554

7 CHAP.

C O N T

E N T S.

A.D. Pag-

C H A P XXXVIir Laws of the Barbarians - - 583

Pecuniary Fines for Homicide - 586

Reign and Converfion of Clovis. — His Vic- Judgments of God - 588

tones over the Alemanni, Burgundians, Judicrial Cf°™ba" . v"" " 589

0 Divifion of Land by the Barbarians 591

and Vifigoths. —Eftablifhment of the French Domain and Benefices of the Merovin.

Monarchy in Gaul. — Laws of the Barba- gians - - 592

rians.— State of the Romans.— -The Vifi- Private Ufurpations - - 594

r o r> />/•«•■ 7 Perfonal Servitude - - 595

goths of Spam.-Conqueft of Britain by £xample of Auyergne _ .

the Saxons. Story of Attalus - - 600

Privileges of the Romans of Gaul 602

A' D* PaSe Anarchy of the Franks - 605

The Revolution of Gaul - 556 The Vifigoths of Spain -•- 606

476—485. Euric, King of the Vifigoths 558 Legiflative Afiemblies of Spain 607

481 — 511. Clovis, King of the Franks 559 Code of the Vifigoths - 609

486 His Victory over Syagrius - 561 Revolution of Britain - 610

496 Defeat and Submiflion of the Alemanni 563 449 Defceit of the Saxons - 61 1

496 Converfion of Clovis - 564 455 -582. Eftablilhment of the Saxon Hep-

497, &c. Submiflion of the Armoricans and. tarchy - - - 612

the Roman Troops - 568 State of the Britons - 614.

499 The Burgundian War - 569 Their R.efiftance - - 615

500 Victory of Clovis - - 571 Their Flight - - 616
532 Final Conqueft of Burgundy by the The Fame of Arthur - - 618

Franks - - 572 Defolation of Britain - - 620

507 The Gothic War - - 574. Servitude of the Britons - 621
Victory of Clovis - - 576 Manners of the Britons - 623

508 Conqueft of Aquitain by the Franks 578 Obfcure or fabulous State of Britain 625
510 Confullhip of Clovis - 579 Fall of the Roman Empire in the Weft 627
536 Final Eftablifhment of the French Monar-
chy in Gaul - _ 58o General Obfervations on the Fall of the Ro-

Political Controversy - 5s2 man Empire in the Weft - - 629

THE

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of the

Romaf Empire.

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THE

HISTORY

OF THE

DECLINE and FALL

OF THE

ROMAN EMPIRE.

CHAP. XXVII.

Death of Gratian. — Ruin of Arianifm* — St. Ambrofe. —
Firft civil War^ againfl Maximus. — Character^ Admi-
nifl ration^ and Pennance, of 'Theodofius. — Death of Va-
lentinian II. — Second civil War^ againfl Eugenius. —
Death of Theodofus.

H E fame of Gratian, before he had accomplished the CHAP.

XXVII

twentieth year of his age, was equal to that of the moft <

celebrated princes. His gentle and amiable dilbofition en- ^dconduft
deared him to his private friends, the graceful affability of his man- of r^e e™Pc~

* 7 ° J ror Gratian.

rters engaged the affection of the people : the men of letters, who A D ,_9__
■enjoyed the liberality, acknowledged the tafte and eloquence, of their ^s3-
Vol. Ill, B fovercign •

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, fovereign ; his valour and dexterity in arms were equally applauded

v — ~* by the foldiers ; and the clergy confidered the humble piety of Gra-
tian as the firft and moft ufeful of his virtues. The victory of
Colmar had delivered the W eft from a formidable invafion ; and the
grateful provinces of the Eaft afcribed the merits of Theodofius, to
the author of his greatnefs, and of the public fafety. Gratian fur-
vived thofe memorable events only four or five years ; but he furvived
his reputation ; and, before he fell a victim to rebellion, he had loft,
in a great meafure, the refpect and confidence of the Roman world.
His defefts. The remarkable alteration of his character or conduct, may not
be imputed to the arts of flattery, which had befieged the fon of Va—
lentinian from his infancy ; nor to the headftrong paftions which
that gentle youth appears to have efcaped* A more attentive
view of the life of Gratian, may perhaps fuggeft the true caufe
of the difappointment of the public hopes. His apparent virtues,
inftead of being the hardy productions of experience and adverfity,
were the premature and artificial fruits of a royal education. The
anxious tendernefs of his father was continually employed to beftow
on him thofe advantages, which he might perhaps efteem the more
highly, as he himfelf had been deprived of them ; and the moft
fkilful mafters of every fcience, and of every art, had laboured to
form the mind and body of the young prince The knowledge
which they painfully communicated was difplayed with orientation,
and celebrated with lavifh praife. His foft and tradable difpofition
received the fair impreffion of their judicious precepts, and the ab-
fence of paffion might eafily be miftaken for the ftrength of reafon.
His preceptors gradually rofe to the rank and confequence of mini-

' Valentinian was lefs attentive to the reli- gan (Mem. de 1'Academie des Infcriptions,
gionofhis fon ; fince he entrufted the educa- torn. xv. p. 125 — 138.). The poetical fame
tion of Gratian to Aufonius, a profefled Pa- of Aufonius condemns the tafte of his age.

6 fters

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 3

fters of ftate 1 ; and, as they wifely diffembled their fecret authority, Cx^^jP'
he feemed to act with tirmnefs, with propriety, and with judg- <— nr
ment, on the moft important occafions of his life and reign.
But the influence of this elaborate inftruction did not penetrate
beyond the furface ; and the fkilful preceptors, who fo accu-
rately guided the fteps of their royal pupil, could not infufe into
his feeble and indolent character, the vigorous and independent
principle of action, which renders the laborious purfait of glory
eflbntially neceflary to the happinefs, and almoft to the exiftence,
of the hero. As foon as time and accident had removed thofe
faithful counfellors from the throne, the emperor of the Weft
infenfibly defcended to the level of his natural genius ; abandoned
the reins of government to the ambitious hands which were ftretched
forwards to grafp them ; and amufed his leifure with the moft fri-
volous gratifications. A public fale of favour and injuftice was in-
ftituted, both in the court, and in the provinces, by the worthlefs
delegates of his power, whofe merit, it was made facrilege to queftion \
The confcience of the credulous prince was directed by faints and
bifhops 4 ; who procured an Imperial edict to punifh, as a capital
offence, the violation, the neglect, or even the ignorance, of the
divine law s. Among the various arts which had exercifed the youth

* Aufonius was fucceflively promoted to the ed, after the death of Gratian, by the feeble

pranorian pra:fe£hire of Italy (A. D. 377.), court of Milan.

and of Gaul (A.D.378.); and was at length 4 Ambrofe compofed, for his inftruflion,

inverted with the confulftiip (A.D. 379.). a theological treatife on the faith of the Tri-

He exprefled his gratitude in a fervile and in- nity : and Tiilemont (Hift. des Empereurs,

fipid piece of flattery (Attio Gratiarum, p. torn. v. p. 158. 169.) afcribes to the arch-

699 — 736. ), which has furvived more wor- biihop the merit of Gratian's intolerant laws,
thy productions. 5 Qui divinae legis fandtitatem, nefciendo

3 Difputare de principali judicio non omittunt, aut negligendo violant, et offen-

oportet. Sacrilegii enim inftar eft dubitare, dunt, facrilegium committunt. Codex Jufti-

an is dignus fit, quern elegerit imperator. nian. 1. ix. tit. xxix. leg. 1. Theodofius in-

Codex Juftinian. I. ix. tit. xxix. leg. 3. This deed may c aim his lhare, in the merit of this

convenient law was revived and promulgat- comprehenfive law.

B 2 of

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c ¥ of Gratian, he had applied himfelf, with fingular inclination and
XXVII. rr

* — -v — •> fuccefs, to manage the horfe, to draw the bow, and to dart the
javelin ; and thefe qualifications, which might be ufeful to a foldier,
were proftituted to the viler purpofes of hunting. Large parks were
inclofed for the Imperial pleafures, and plentifully flocked with every
fpecies of wild beafts ; and Gratian neglected the duties, and even
the dignity, of his rank, to confume whole days in the vain difplay
of his dexterity and boldnefs in the chace. The pride and wilh
of the Roman emperor to excel in an art, in which he might be
furpaffed by the meaneft of his flaves, reminded the numerous fpec-
tators of the examples of Nero and Commodus : but the chafte and
temperate Gratian was a ftranger to their monftrous vices ; and his
hands were ftained only with the blood of animals 6.
DIfcontent of The behaviour of Gratian, which degraded his character in the
troops, eyes of mankind, could not have dilturbed the fecurity of his reign,
A' "D" if the army had not been provoked to refent their peculiar injuries.

As long as the young emperor was guided by the inftrudtions of his
matters, he profefled himfelf the friend and pupil of the foldiers ;
many of his hours were fpent in the familiar converfation of the
camp ; and the health, the comforts, the rewards, the honours, of
his faithful troops, appeared to be the objed of his attentive concern.
But, after Gratian more freely indulged his prevailing tafte for hunt-
ing and mooting, he naturally connected himfelf with the moft dex-
terous minifters of his favourite amufement. A body of the Alani
was received into the military and domeftic fervice of the palace;
and the admirable fkill, which they were accuftomed to difplay in the
unbounded plains of Scythia,was exercifed, on a more narrow theatre,
in the parks and inclofures of Gaul. Gratian admired the talents

' Ammianus (xxxi. 10.) and the younger is faved by " licet incruentus ;" and perhaps-

Viftor acknowledge the virtues of Gratian ; Philoftorgius (1. x. c. 10. and Godefroy, p.

and accufe, or rather lament, his degene- 412.) had guarded, with fome fimilar refenea

rate tafte. The odious parallel of Commodos the comparifon of Nero.

1 and

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

and cuftoms of thefe favourite guards, to whom alone he entruft- CHAP.

& ' . XXVII.

ed the defence of his perfon : and, as if he meant to infult the v. — ^— — /

public opinion, he frequently fhewed himfelf to the foldiers and
people, with the drefs and arms, the long bow, the founding quiver,
and the fur garments, of a Scythian warrior. The unworthy fpec-
tacle of a Roman prince, who had renounced the drefs and manners
of his country, filled the minds of the legions with grief and in-
dignation 7. Even the Germans, fo ftrong and formidable in the
armies of the empire, affected to difdain the ftrange and horrid ap-
pearance of the favages of the North, who, in the fpace of a few
years, had wandered from the banks of the Volga to thofe of the
Seine. A loud and licentious murmur was echoed through the camps
and garrifons of the Weft ; and as- the mild indolence of Gratian ne-
glected to extinguifh the firft fymptoms of difcontent, the want of
love and refpect was not fupplied by the influence of fear. But the
fubvertfon of an eftablifhed government is always a work of fome
real, and of much apparent, difficulty ; and the throne of Gratian
was protected by the fanttions of cuftom, law, religion, and the
nice balance of the civil and military powers, which had been efta-
blifhed by the policy of Conftantine. It is not very important to
inquire from wrhat caufes the revolt of Britain was produced. Acci-
dent is commonly the parent of diforder ; the feeds of rebellion
happened to fall on a foil which was fuppofed to be more fruitful than
any other in tyrants and ufurpers 8 ; the legions of that fequeftered Revolt of
ifland had been long famous for a fpirit of prefumption and arro- Britain.

7 Zofimus (1. iv. p. 247.) and the younger is a memorable expreflion, ufed by Jeromin

Vittor afcribe the revolution to the favour of the Pelagian controverfy, and varioufly tor-

the Alani, and the difcontent of the Roman tured in the difputes of our national antiqua-

troops. Dum exercitum negligeret, etpaucos ries. The revolutions of the lall age appear-

ex Alanis, quos ingenti auro ad ie tranftule- ed to juftify the image of the fublimc Bofluet,

rat, anteferret veteri ac Romano militi. cette ifle, plus orageufe^quc. -1« -mers qui

* Britannia fertilis provincia tyrannorum, 41 I'environnent."

gance |

THE DECLINE AND FALL

gance 9 ; and the name of Maximus was proclaimed, by the tu-
multuary, but unanimous voice, both of the foldiers and of the pro-
vincials. The emperor, or the rebel, for his title was not yet afcer-
tained by fortune, was a native of Spain, the countryman, the
fellow-foldier, and the rival of Theodofius, whofe elevation he had
not feen without fome emotions of envy and refentment : the events
of his life had long fmce fixed him in Britain ; and I mould not be
unwilling to find fome evidence for the marriage, which he is faid
to have contracted with the daughter of a wealthy lord of Caernar-
vonfhire ,0. But this provincial rank might juftly be confidered as
a ftate of exile and obfcurity ; and if Maximus had obtained any
civil or military office, he was not inverted with the authority
either of governor or general His abilities, and even his in-
tegrity, are acknowledged by the partial writers of the age ; and
the merit muft indeed have been confpicuous, that could extort fuch
a confeffion in favour of the vanquifhed enemy of Theodofius.
The difcontent of Maximus might incline him to cenfure the con-
duct of his fovereign, and to encourage, perhaps without any views
•of ambition, the murmurs of the troops. But in the midft of the
tumult, he artfully^or modeftly, refufed to afcend the throne; and
feme credit appears to have been given to his own pofitive de-
claration, that he was compelled to accept the dangerous prefent of
the Imperial purple ,2.

But

9 Zofimus fays of the Britifli foldiers, rav

a^Xav ocnavrxv 7rAso» ctvQztSinx. zcti Ov/azi nXBburavf.

10 Helena the daughter of Eudda. Her
chapel may ftill be feen at Caer-fegont,
now Caer-narvon (Carte's Hill, of England,
vol. i. p. i63. from Rowland's Mona Anti-
qua.). The prudent reader may not per-
haps be fatisfied with fuch Welch evidence.

" .Cambden (vol. i. introducl. p. ci.) ap-
points him governor of Britain ; and the fa-

ther of our antiquities is followed, as ufual,
by his blind progeny. Pacatus and Zofimu?
-had taken fome pains to prevent this error,
or fable ; and I fhall protect myfelf by their
decifive teftimonies. Regali habitu exulem
fuum, illi exules orbis induerunt (in Panegyr.
Vet. xii. 23.), and the Greek hiftorian, ftili
lefs equivocally, »vro( (Maximus) & eh £l?
acxri" evTipoy tTVXv %£OcX(luii (1. iv. p. 248.).

** Sulpicius Severus, Dialog, ii. 7. Oro-

fius,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

But there was danger likewife in refufing the empire ; and from Cx^^jP*

the moment that Maximus had violated his allegiance to his lawful < „ j

fovereign, he could not hope to reign, or even to live, if he con- de!uhtofnd
fined his moderate ambition within the narrow limits of Britain. Grauaa«
He boldly and wifely refolved to prevent the defigns of Gratian ;
the youth of the ifland crowded to his ftandard, and he invaded
Gaul with a fleet and army, which were long afterwards remember-
ed, as the emigration of a confiderable part of the Britifh na
tion I3. The emperor, in his peaceful refidence of Paris, was alarmed
by their hoftile approach ; and the darts which he idly wafted on
lions and bears, might have been employed more honourably againft .
the rebels. But his feeble efforts announced his degenerate fpirit
and defperate fituation ; and deprived him of the refources, which
he flill might have found, in the fupport of his fubjeds and allies.
The armies of Gaul, inftead of oppofmg the march of Maximus,
received him with joyful and loyal acclamations ; and the lhame of
the defertion was transferred from the people to the prince. The
troops, whofe ftation more immediately attached them to the fervice
of the palace, abandoned the ftandard of Gratian the ftrft time that
it was difplayed in the neighbourhood of Paris. The emperor of
the Weft fled towards Lyons, with a train of only. three hundred
horfe ; and, in the cities along the road, where he hoped to find
a refuge, or at leaft a paffage, he was taught, by cruel ex-
perience, that every gate is fhut againft the unfortunate. Yet
he might ftill have reached, in fafety, the dominions of his

fius, 1. vii. c. 34. p. 556. They both ac- foldiers, and 100,000 plebeians, who fettled
knowledge (Sulpicius had been his fubjeft) in Bretagne. Their deilined brides, St. Ur-
his innocence and merit. Itis lingular enough, fula with 1 1 ,000 noble, and 60,000 plebeian,
that Maximus Ihould be lefs favourably virgins, millcok their way ; landed at Co-
treated by Zofimus, the partial adverfary of log'ie, and were all moll cruelly murdered
his rival. by the Huns'. But the plebeian fillers have
13 Archbilhop Ulher (Antiquitat. Britan. been defrauded of their equal honours ; and,
Ecclef. p. 107, ic8.) has diligently collected what is Hill harder, John Trithemius pre-
the legends of the ifland, and the continent, fumes to mention the children of thefe Bri-
The whole emigration confined of 30,000 tiih virgins.

brother ;

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXVII.

» , '

A.D. 3S3,
Auguft 25.

Treaty of
-peace be-
tween Maxi-
mus and
TheodoHus,
A. D. 383 —
3*7.

brother ; and foon have returned with the forces of Italy and the
Eaft ; if he had not fuffered himfelf to be fatally deceived by the
perfidious governor of the Lyonnefe province. Gratian was amufed
by proteftations of doubtful fidelity, and the hopes of a fupport,
which could not be effectual ; till the arrival of Andragathius, the
general of the cavalry of Maximus, put an end to his fufpenfe. That
refolute officer executed, without remorfe, the orders, or the inten-
tions, of the ufurper. Gratian, as he rofe from fupper, was delivered
into the hands of the afTaflin ; and his body was denied to the pious
and preffing intreaties of his brother Valentinian '*. The death of
the emperor was followed by that of his powerful general Mello-
baudes, the king of the Franks ; who maintained, to the laft moment
of his life, the ambiguous reputation, which is the juft recompence
of obfcure and fubtle policy ,5. Thefe executions might be neceffary
to the public fafety : but the fuccefsful ufurper, whofe power was
acknowledged by all the provinces of the Weft, had the merit, and
the fatisfaction, of boafling, that, except thofe who had perifhed by
the chance of war, his triumph was not ftained by the blood of
the Romans ,6.

The events of this revolution had pafTed in fuch rapid fucceflion,
that it would have been impoffible for Theodofius to march to the
relief of his benefactor, before he received the intelligence of his
defeat and death. During the feafon of fincere grief, or oftentatious

** Zofimus (!. iv. p. 248, 249.) has trans-
ported the death of Gratian from Lugdunum
in 'Gaul (Lyons) to Singidunum in Moefia.
Some hints may be extracted from the Chro-
nicles; fome lies may be detected in Sozo-
men (1. vii. c. 1 ; .) and Socrates (1. v. c. 1 1 .).
Ambrofe is our molt authentic evidence (torn,
i. Enarrat. in Pfalm Ixi. p 961. torn. ii.
cpift. xxiv. p. 888, Sec. and de Obitu Va-
ientinian. Confolat. N° 28. p. 1182.).

15 Pacatus (xii. 28.) celebrates his fidelity;
while his treachery is marked in Profpers

Chronicle, as the caufe of the ruin of Gra-
tian. Ambrofe, who has occafion to excul-
pate himfelf, only condemns the death of
Vallio, a faithful fervant of Gratian (torn. ii.
epift. xxiv. p. 8cji. edit. Benedict.).

16 He protefted, nullum ex adverfariis nifi
in acie occubuilTe. Sulp. Severus in Vit. B.
Martin, c. 23. The orator of Theodofius
bellows reluctant, and therefore weighty,
praife on his clemency. Si cui ille, pro ce-
teris fceleribus fisis, minus crudelis fuifTe vide-
tur (Panegyr. Vet. xii. 2S.).

mourning,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

mourning, the Eaftern emperor was interrupted by the arrival of the c ^Tp*
principal chamberlain of Maximus : and the choice of a venerable
old man, for an office which was ufually exercifed by eunuchs, an-
nounced to the court of Constantinople the gravity and temperance
of the Britim ufurper. The ambaflador condefcended to juftify, or
excufe, the conduct of his matter ; and to proteft, in fpecious lan-
guage, that the murder of Gratian had been perpetrated, without his
knowledge or confent, by the precipitate zeal of the foldiers. But he
.proceeded, in a firm and equal tone, to offer Theodofius the alterna-
tive of peace, or war. The fpeech of the ambaiTador concluded
with a fpirited declaration, that although Maximus, as a Roman,
and as the father of his people, would chufe rather to employ his
forces in the common defence of the republic, he was armed and
prepared, if his friendship fhbuld be rejected, to difpute in a field of
battle the empire of the world. An immediate and peremptory
anfwer was required ; but it was extremely difficult for Theo-
dofius to fatisfy, on this important occafion, either the feelings
of his own mind, or the expectations of the public. The impe-
rious voice of honour and gratitude called aloud for revenge.
From the liberality of Gratian, he had received the Imperial
diadem : his patience would encourage the odious fufpicion, that
he was more deeply fenfible of former injuries, than of recent ob-
ligations ; and if he accepted the friendship, he muft feem to Share
the guilt, of the aflaffin. Even the principles of juftice, and the
intereft of fociety, would receive a fatal blow from the impunity of
Maximus : and the example of fuccefsful ufurpation would tend to
diffolve the artificial fabric of government, and once more to repiunge
the^ empire in the crimes and calamities of the preceding age. But,
as the fentiments of gratitude and honour mould invariably regulate
the conduct of an individual, "they may be overbalanced in the mind
of a fovereign, by the fenfe of fuperior duties ; and the maxims,
Vol. III. C both

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CXXvnP' koth °f juftice an(i humanity, muft permit the efcape of an atrocious

— v ' criminal, if an innocent people would be involved in the confequences

of his punifhment. The aflaflin of Gratian had ufurped, but he
actually polleffed, the moft warlike provinces of the empire : the
Eaft was exhaufted by the misfortunes, and even by the fuccefs,
of the Gothic war ; and it was ferioufly to be apprehended, that,,
after the vital ftrength of the republic had been wafted in a doubt-
ful and deftructive conteft, the feeble conqueror would remain an
eafy prey to the Barbarians of the North. Thefe weighty con—
fiderations engaged Theodofius to diflemble his refentment, and
to accept the alliance of the tyrant. But he ftipulated, that Max—
imus mould content himfelf with the poffeflion of the countries
beyond the Alps. The brother of Gratian was confirmed and
fecured in the fovereignty of Italy, Africa, and the Weftern Illy-
ricum ; and fome honourable conditions were inferted in the treaty,
to protect the memoiy, and the laws, of the deceafed emperor *\
According to the cuftom of the age, the images of the three Impei iai
colleagues were exhibited to the veneration of the people : nor
mould it be lightly fuppofed, that, in the moment of a folemn re-
conciliation, Theodofius fecretly cherifhed the intention of perfidy
and revenge 18.

Baptifm and <jfaQ contempt of Gratian for the Roman foldiers, had expofed

orthodox A r

«didsofThe* him to the fatal effects of their refentment. His profound venera-

odofius

A. D. 380, tion for the Chriftian clergy was rewarded by the applaufe and gra-
S ebruary 28. titucje Qf a powerful order, which has claimed, in every age, the

privilege of difpenfing honours, both on earth and in heaven ,9.

The orthodox bifhops bewailed his death, and their own irreparable

17 Ambrofe mentions the laws of Gratian, of Theodofius have abfolutely forgotten, or
quas non abrogavit hoftis (torn. ii. epift. xvii. flightly mentioned.

p. 827.). 19 Their oracle, the archbifhop of Milan,

18 Zofimus, 1. iv. p. 251, 252. We may afligns to his pupil Gratian an high and re-
difclaim his odious fufpicions ; but we cannot fpeftable place in heaven (torn. ii. de Obit,
xejett the treaty of peace, which the friends Val. Confol. p. 1193O'

lofs;

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

lofs : but they were foon comforted by the difcovery, that Gratlan CHAP.

. J J ;' XXVJf.

had committed the fceptre of the Eaft to the hands of a prince, -.-

whofe humble faith, and fervent zeal, were fupported by the fpirit
and abilities of a more vigorous character. Among the benefactors
of the church, the fame of Conftantine has been rivalled by the
glory of Theodofius. If Conftantine had the advantage of erect-
ing the ftandard of the crofs, the emulation of his fucceffor af-
fumed the merit of fubduing the Arian herefy, and of abolishing
the worfhip of idols in the Roman world Theodofius was the firft
of the emperors baptifed in the true faith of the Trinity. Although
he was born of a Chriftian family, the maxims, or at leaft the
practice, of the age, encouraged him to delay the ceremony of his
initiation ; till he was admonifhed of the danger of delay, by the
ferious illnefs which threatened his life, towards the end of the firft
year of his reign. Before he again took the field againft the Goths, he
recei < ed the facrament of baptifm zo from Acholius, the orthodox
bifhop of Theflalonica 21 : and, as the emperor afcended from the
holy font, ftill glowing with the warm feelings of regeneration, he
dictated a folemn edict, which proclaimed his own faith, and pre-
ferred the religion of his fubjects. " It is our pleafure (fuch is the
" Imperial ftyle), that all the nations, which are governed by our
" clemency and moderation, fhould ftedfaftly adhere to the religion
" which was taught by St. Peter to the Romans ; which faithful
*' tradition has preferved ; and which is now profefled by the pontiff
u Damafus, and by Peter, bifhop of Alexandria, a man of apoftolic
" holinefs. According to the difcipline of the apoftles, and the doc-

10 For the baptifm of Theodofius, fee So- brofe ; who ftyles him, murus fidei atque

YOmen (1. vii. c. 4-)> Socrates (1. v. c. 6.)> fanftitatis (torn. ii. epift. xv. p. 820.) ; and

and Tillemont (Hift. des Empereurs, torn, afterwards celebrates his fpeed and diligence

v. p. 728.)' *n running to Conftantinople, Italy, Sft

" Afcolius, or Acholius, was honoured (epift. xvi. p. 822.) a virtue which does noE

by the friendfhip, and the praifes, of Am- appertain either to a ival/, or a bijbop.

C 2 " trine

THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap. « trine of the gofpel, let us believe the fole deity of the Father, the

XXVII.

t. „ — <l Son, and the Holy Ghoft ; under an equal majefty, and a pious

" Trinity. We authorife the followers of this doctrine to affume the
" title of Catholic Chriftians ; and as we judge, that all others are
" extravagant madmen, we brand them with the infamous name of
" Heretics ; and declare, that their conventicles fhall no longer ufurp
" the refpectable appellation of churches. Befides the condemnation
M of Divine juftice, they muft expect to fuffer the fevere penalties,
u which our authority, guided by heavenly wifdom, fhall think.
u proper to inflict upon them **." The faith of a foldier is commonly
the fruit of inftruction, rather than of inquiry ; but as the emperor
always fixed his eyes on the vifible land-marks of orthodoxy, which
he had fo prudently conftituted, his religious opinions were never
affected by the fpecious texts, the fubtle arguments, and the ambi-
guous creeds of the Arian doctors. Once indeed he expreffed a faint
inclination to converfe with the eloquent and learned Eunomius, who
lived in retirement at a fmall diftance from Constantinople. But the
dangerous interview was prevented by the prayers of the Emprefs
Flaccilla, who trembled for the falvation of her hufband ; and the
mind of Theodofms was confirmed by a theological argument,
adapted to the rudeft capacity. He had lately beftowed, on his
cldeft fon Arcadius, the name and honours of Auguftus ; and the
two princes were feated on a ftately throne to receive the homage
of their fubjects. A bifhop, Amphilochius of Iconium, approached
the throne, and after faluting, with due reverence, the perfon of his
fovereign, he accofted the royal youth with the fame familiar ten-
dernefs, which he might have ufed towards a plebeian child. Pro-
voked by this infolent behaviour, the monarch gave orders, that the

11 Codex Theodof. 1. xvi. tit. i. leg. 2. with Baronius, auream fan&ionem, edi&um piunv
Godefroy's Commentary, torn. vi. p. 5—9. et falutare.— Sic itur ad alba.
Such an edift deferved the warm eft praifes of

5 ruftic

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

ruftic prieft fhould be inftantly driven from his prefence. But while Cx^v^r P'
the guards were forcing him to the door, the dexterous polemic had i — -v — - -»
time to execute his defign, by exclaiming, with a loud voice, " Such
" is the treatment, O Emperor ! which the King of heaven has pre-
" pared for thofe impious men, who affect to worfhip the Father, but
u refufe to acknowledge the equal majefty of his divine Son." Theo-
dofius immediately embraced the bifliop of Iconium; and never forgot
the important leifon, which he had received from this dramatic pa-
rable 13.

ConftantinoDle was the principal feat and fortrefs of Arianifm : Ariar.ifm of

. . . Conftanti-

and, in a long interval of forty years 2+, the faith of the princes and nople,

A. D. 340—

prelates, wrho reigned in the capital of the Eaft, was rejected in the 380.
purer fchools of Rome and Alexandria. The archiepifcopal throne
of Macedonius, which had been polluted with fo much Chriftian
blood, was fucceiTively filled by Eudoxus and Damophilus. Their
diocefe enjoyed a free importation of vice and error from every pro-
vince of the empire ; the eager purfuit of religious controverfy af-
forded a new occupation to the bufy idlenefs of the metropolis ; and
we may credit the affertion of an intelligent obferver, who defcribes,
with fome pleafantry, the effects of their loquacious zeal. " This
" city, fays he, is full of mechanics and flaves, who are all of them
M profound theologians ; and preach in the jfhops, and in the ftreets.
u If you defire a man to change a piece of filver, he informs you,.
" wherein the Son differs from the Father : if you afk the price of
" a loaf, you are told, by way of reply, that the Son is inferior to
" the Father ; and if you enquire, whether the bath is ready, the

13 Sozomen, 1. vii. c. 6. Theodoret, 1. v. 24 Sozomen, 1. vii. c. 5. Socrates, 1. v.

c. 16. Tillemont is difpleafed (Mem. Ecclef. c. 7. Marcellin. in Chron. The account of

torn. vi. p. 627, 628.) with the terms of forty years muft be dated from the election or

** ruftic bilhop," " obfeure city." Yet I intrufion of Eufebius ; who wifely exchanged

muft take leave to think, that both Amphi- the biftiopric of Nicomedia for the throne of

lochius and Iconium were objefts of incon- Conftantinople.

fiderable magnitude in the Roman empire.

w anjwer

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXVII.

u anftver is, that the Son was made out of nothing is." The he-
Tetics, of various denominations, fubfifted in peace under the protection
of the Arians of Conftantinople ; who endeavoured to fecure the at-
tachment of thofe obfcure fectaries ; while they abufed, with unre-
lenting feverity, the victory which they had obtained over the fol-
lowers of the council of Nice. During the partial reigns of Con-
ftantius and Valens, the feeble remnant of the Homooufians was
-deprived of the public and private exercife of their religion ; and
it has been obferved, in pathetic language, that the fcattered flock
was left without a mepherd to wander on the mountains, or to be
devoured by rapacious wolves *6. But, as their zeal, inftead of being
fubdued, deriyed ftrength and vigour from oppreffion, they feized
the firfl: moments of imperfect: freedom, which they acquired by the
death of Valens, to form themfelves into a regular congregation,
Gregory Na- under the conduct of an epifcopal paftor. Two natives of Cappa-
docia, Balil, and Gregory Nazianzen i7, were diftinguimed above all
their contemporaries18, by the rare union of profane eloquence and
of orthodox piety. Thefe orators, who might fometimes be compared,
by themfelves, and by the public, to the moft celebrated of the
ancient Greeks, were united by the ties of the ftricteft friendfhip.
They had cultivated, with equal ardour, the fame liberal ftudies in

tianzen

15 See Jortin's Remarks on Ecclefiaftical
Hiilory, vol. Ly. p. 71. The thirty-third
Oration of Gregory Nazianzen affords in-
deed fome f.milar idea:, even feme (till more
ridiculous, but Ihave not yet found the iuo+$s
of this remarkable paffage ; which I allege
on the faith of a correct and liberal fcholar.

" See the thirty-fecond Oration of Gregory
Nazianzen, and the account of his own life,
which he has compofed in i8co iambics.
Yet every phyfician is prone to exaggerate
the inveterate nature of the difeafe which he
Jbas cured.

M I confefs myfelf deeply indebted to the

two lives of Gregory Nazianzen, compofed,
with very different views, by Tillemont(Mem.
Ecclef. torn. ix. p. 305 — 560, 692—731.),
andLe Clerc (BibliothequeUniverfelle,tom.
xviii. p. 1 — 128.).

. 18 Unlefs Gregory Nazianzen miftook thirty
years in his own age ; he was born, as well as
his friend Bafil, about the year 329. The pre-
posterous chronology of Suidas has been gra-
cicufly received ; becaufe it removes the fcan-
dal of Gregory's father, a faint likev.ife, be-
getting children, after he became a bifhop
(Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. ix. p. 693 —
697.).

the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

the fchools of Athens : they had retired, with equal devotion, to the CHAP.

' 7 1 ' XXVII,

fame folitude in the deferts of Pontus ; and every fpark of emulation,

or envy, appeared to be totally extinguifhed in the holy and inge-
nuous breafts of Gregory and Balil. But the exaltation of Bafil,
from a private life to the archiepifcopal throne of Caefarea, difcovered
to the world, and perhaps to himfelf, the pride of his character -r
and the firft favour which he condefcended to beftow on his friend
was received, and perhaps was intended, as a cruel infult 29. Inftead ■
of employing the fuperior talents of Gregory in fome ufeful and
confpicuous ftation, the haughty prelate felecled, among the fifty
bifhoprics of his extenfive province, the wretched village of Safima30,
without water, without verdure, without fociety, fituate at the junc-
tion of three highways, and frequented only by the inceffant pafTage
of rude and clamorous waggoners. Gregory iubmitted with reluc-
tance to this humiliating exile : he was ordained bilhop of Safima ;
but he folemnly protefts, that he never confummated his fpirituah
marriage with this difguiting bride. He afterwards confented to
undertake the government of his native church of Nazianzus 31, of
which his father had been bilhop above five-and-forty years. But as

language of nature, is the lame in Cappado-
cia and in Britain.

30 This unfavourable portrait of Safima is
drawn by Gregory Nazianzen (torn. ii. de
Vita fua, p. 7,8.). Its precife fituation,
forty-nine miles from Archelais, and thirty-
two from Tyana, is fixed in the Itinerary of
Antoninus (p. 144. edit, Welfeling.).

31 The name of Nazianzus has been im-
mortalifed by Gregory ; but his native town,
under the Greek orRoman title of Diocxfarea.
(Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. ix.p. 692.),
is mentioned by Pliny (vi. 3.), Ptolemy, and
Hierocles (Itinerar. Welfeling, p. 709.). Ic
appears to have been fituate on the edge of
Ifauria.

09 'Gregory's Poem on his own Life con-
tains fome beautiful lines (torn. ii. p. 8.)
which burft from the heart, and fpeak the
pangs of injured and loft friendfhip :
......... Trove* Komoi hoyu; s

Vnc he tir a-fiUpotv .......

Atzc-xiSarcu Trtn-rx, effmTo.i yuy.a\y

Af£2i (p ipnai T'i$ TraXaia; c\7ri$a.<;.
Jn the Midfummer Night's Dream, Helenia
addrelfes the lame pathetic complaint to her
friend Hermia :

Is all the counfel that we two have lhared,

The filter's vows, &c.
Shakefptare had never read the poems of
Gregorv Nazianzen : he was ignorant of the
Greek language ; but his mother-tongue, the

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, he was ftill confcious. that he deferved another audience, and another

YXVIl.

*J — , ' theatre, he accepted, with no unworthy ambition^ the honourable

nriffion of invitation, wrhicli was addreffed to him from the orthodox party of
aopn;? U1" Coriftantinople. On his arrival in the capital, Gregory wras enter-
a. d. 37S, ta]ned in the houfe of a pious and charitable kinfman : the moft fpa-

November. 1 . A

cious room was confecrated to the ufes of religious worfhip ; and the
name of Anaftafia wTas chofen, to exprefs the refurrection of the
Nicene faith. This private conventicle was afterwards converted
into a magnificent church ; and the credulity of the fucceeding age
was prepared to believe the miracles and vifions, wrhich attefted the
prefence, or at leaft the protection, of the Mother of God 3\ The
pulpit of the Anaftafia wras the fcene of the labours and triumphs
of Gregory Nazianzen ; and, in the fpace of two years, he expe-
rienced all the fpiritual adventures which conftitute the profperous
or adverle fortunes of a miflionary ". The Arians, who were pro-
voked by the boldnefs of his enterprife, reprefented his doctrine, as
if he had preached three diftinct and equal Deities ; and the devout
populace was excited to fupprefs, by violence and tumult, the irre-
gular alTemblies of the Athanafian heretics. From the cathedral of
St. Sophia, there iffued a motley crowd " of common beggars, who
** had forfeited their claim to pity ; of monks, who had the appear-
ance of goats or fatyrs ; and of w omen, more terrible than fo
many Jezabels." The doors of the Anaftafia were broke open ;
much mifchief was perpetrated, or attempted, with fticks, ftones,
and firebrands ; and as a man loft his life in the affray, Gregory, w^ho
was fummoned the next morning before the magiftrate, had the
fatisfaction of fuppofmg, that he publicly conferTed the name of Chrift.
After he was delivered from the fear and danger of a foreign enemy,

31 See Ducange, Conftant. Chriftiana, 33 Tillemont (Mem. Ecclef. torn. ix. p.

l. iv. p. 141, 142. The 9sia lv.x(M% of Sozo- 432, &c.j diligently collects, enlarges, and

men (I. vii. c. 5.) is interpreted to mean the explains, the oratorical and poetical hints of

Virgin Mary. Gregory himfelf.

'« his

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

"his infant church was difgraced and diflracted by interline faction. °^yU?'
A ftranger, who afTumed the name of Maximus 3+, and the cloak of <— «- *
a Cynic philofopher, infinuated himfelf into the confidence of Gre-
gory ; deceived and abufed his favourable opinion ; and forming a
fccret connection with fome bifhops of Egypt, attempted, by a clan-
destine ordination, to fupplant his patron in the epifcopal feat of Con-
ftantinople. Thefe mortifications might fomctimes tempt the Cappa-
docian miflionary to regret his obfcure folitude. But his fatigues
were rewarded by the daily increafe of his fame and his congregation ;
and he enjoyed the pleafure of obferving, that the greater part of his
numerous audience retired from his fermons, fatisfied with the elo-
quence of the preacher 35, or diffatisfied with the manifold imper-
fections of their faith and practice 3S.

The Catholics of Conftantinople were animated with joyful confi- Ruinof Arl-

/ anifmatCon-

dence by the baptifm and edict of Theodofms ; and they impatiently liantinople,
waited the effects of his gracious promife. Their hopes were fpee- Novemba 26.
dily accomplifhed ; and the emperor, as foon as he had finifhed the
operations of the campaign, made his public entry into the capital
at the head of a victorious army. The next day after his arrival,
he fummoned Damophilus to his prefence; and offered that Arian
prelate the hard alternative of fubfcribing the Nicene creed, or of
inftantly refigning, to the orthodox believers, the ufe and pofTeffion
of the epifcopal palace, the cathedral of St. Sophia, and all the
churches of Conftantinople. The zeal of Damophilus, which in a
Catholic faint would have been juftly applauded, embraced, without

3* He pronounced an oration (torn. i. Crat. fcribes his own fuccefs with fome human

xxiii. p. 409.) in his praife ; but after their complacency. Yet it Ihould feem, from his

quarrel, the name of Maximus was changed familiar converfation with his auditor St. Je-

into that of Heron (fee Jerom, torn. i. in rom (torn. i. Epift. ad Nepotian. p. 14.),

Catalog. Script. Ecclef. p. 301.). I touch that the preacher underftood the true value of

llightly on thefe obfcure and perfonal fquab- popular applaufe.

bles. 3r' Lachryma? auditorum laudes tuae fint,

35 Under the modeft emblem of a dream, is the lively and judicious advice of St. Je-

Gregory (torn. ii. carmen ix. p. 78.) de- rom.

Vol. IIL D hefitation,

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, hefitation, a life of poverty and exile 37 ; and his removal was

XXVII

*i -.- * immediately followed by the purification of the Imperial City.

The Arians might complain, with fome appearance of juftice,
that an inconfiderable congregation of fectaries mould ufurp the
hundred churches, which they were infufficient to fill : whilft the
far greater part of the people was cruelly excluded from every
place of religious worfhip. Theodofius was flill inexorable : but as
the angels who protected the Catholic caufe, were only vifible to the
eyes of faith, he prudently reinforced thofe heavenly legions, with
the more effectual aid of temporal and carnal weapons : and the church
of St, Sophia was occupied by a large body of the Imperial guards.
If the mind of Gregory was fufceptible of pride, he muft have felt a
very lively fatisfaction, when the emperor conducted him through
the flreets in folemn triumph ; and, with his own hand, refpect fully
placed him on the archiepifcopal throne of Conftantinople. But the
faint (who had not fubdued the imperfections of human virtue) was
deeply affected by the mortifying confideration, that his entrance
into the fold was that of a wolf, rather than of a fhepherd : that the
glittering arms, which furrounded his perfon, were necefTary for his
fafety; and that he alone was the object of the imprecations of a
great party, whom, as men and citizens, it was impoffible for him to
defpife. He beheld the innumerable multitude of either fex, and of
every age, who crowded the fireets, the windows, and the roofs of
the houfes ; he heard the tumultuous voice of rage, grief, aftonifh-
ment, and defpair ; and Gregory fairly confeffes, that on the me-
morable day of his inftallation, the capital of the Eaft wore the
appearance of a city taken by ftorm, and in the hands of a Barba-

37 Socrates (1. v. c. 7.) and Sozomen that it is difficult to refiji the powerful : but
(1. vii. c. 5.) relate the evangelical words it was eafy, and would have been profitable,
and actions of Damophilus without a word of to fubmit,
approbation. He confidered, fays Socrates,

rian

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

rian conqueror 3\ About fix weeks afterwards, Theodofi us declared cxx^jP*

his refolution of expelling from all the churches of his dominions* ' j *

the bifhops and their clergy, who mould obftinately refufe to believe,
or at leaft to profefs, the doctrine of the council of Nice. His lieu- In the Eart.
tenant Sapor was armed with the ample powers of a general law, a January 10'.
fpecial commimon, and a military force 39 ; and this ecclefiaftical revo-
lution was conducted with fo much difcretion and vigour, that the
religion of the emperor was eftablifhed, without tumult, or blood-
fhed, in all the provinces of the Eaft. The writings of the Arians,
if they had been permitted to exift40, would perhaps contain the
lamentable ftory of the perfecution, which afflicted the church under
the reign of the impious Theodofms ; and the fufferings of their holy
confelTors, might claim the pity of the difinterefted reader. Yet
there is reafon to imagine that the violence of zeal and revenge was,
in fome meafure, eluded by the want of refiftance; and that, in
their adverfity, the Arians difplayed much lefs firmnefs, than had been
exerted by the orthodox party under the reigns of Conftantius and
Valens. The moral character and conduct of the hoftile fects ap-
pear to have been governed by the fame common principles of na-
ture and religion : but a very material circumftance may be difcovered,
which tended to diftinguifh the degrees of their theological faith.
Both parties, in the fchools, as well as in the temples, acknowledged
and worfhipped the divine majefty of Chrift ; and, as we are always
prone to impute our own fentiments and paffions to the Deity, it

38 See Gregory Nazianzen, tom. ii. de ed this important commiflion of Sapor, which
Vita fua, p. 21, 22. For the fake of pof- Tillemont (Hilt, des' Empereurs, tom. v.
terity, the bifhop of Conltantinople records p. 728.) judicicufly removes, from the reigu
a ftupendous prodigy. In the month of No- of Gratian, to that of Theodofius.
vember, it was a cloudy morning ; but the 40 I do not reckon Philoitorgius, though
fun broke forth, when the proceffion entered he mentions (I. ix. c. ig.) the expulficn cf
the church. Damophilus. The Eunomian hittorian has

39 Of the three ecclefiaftical hiftorians, been carefully ftrained through an orthodox
Theodoret alone (1. v. c. 2.) has mention- fieve.

D 2 would

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHU would be deemed more prudent and refpectful to exaggerate, than ten
u— .-v— circumfcribe, the adorable perfections of the Son of God. The
difciple of Athanafius exulted in the proud confidence, that he had
entitled himfelf to the divine favour : while the follower of Anus-
muft have been tormented, by the fecret apprehenfion, that he was
guilty, perhaps, of an unpardonable offence, by the fcanty praife,
and parfimonious honours, which he beftowed on the Judge of the
World. The opinions of Arianifm might fatisfy a cold and fpecula-
tive mind : but the doctrine of the Nicene Creed, moft powerfully-
recommended by the merits of faith and devotion, was much better
adapted to become popular and fuccefsful in a believing age.
The council The hope, that truth and wifdom would be found in the affembliea

q[ Conilanti-

nopie, of the orthodox clergv, induced the emperor to convene, at Con-

A. D. 381,

May. ' ftantinople, a fynod of one hundred and fifty bifhops,. who proceeded,
without much difficulty or delay, to complete the theological fyftem
which had been eftablifhed in the council of Nice. The vehement
difputes of the fourth century, had been chiefly employed on the
nature of the Son of God : and the various opinion?., which were
embraced concerning the Second, were extended and transferred, by
a natural analogy, to the Third, perfon of the Trinity 4'. Yet it was
found, or it was thought,, neceffary,. by the victorious adverfaries of
Arianifm, to explain the ambiguous language of fome refpectable
doctors.; to confirm the faith of. the Catholics; and to condemn an
unpopular and inconfiftent feci: of Macedonians ; who freely admitted
that the Son was confubftantial to the Father, while they were fearful
of fecming to acknowledge the exiflence of Three Gods,. A final and

41 Le Clerc has given a curious extract who deified the Father and the Son, without

(Bibiiotheque Univerfelle, torn, xviij. p. the Poly Ghoft, that they might as well be

91—105,) of the theological fermons which (ti\e& Tritbeifts, as Ditheijfs.. Gregory him-

Gregory Nazianzen pronounced at Conftan- felf was almoft a TritheiH ; and his monarchy

tinople again ft the Arians, Eunomians, Ma- of heaven refembles a well-regulated ariito-

■cedonians, &c. He tells the Macedonians, cracy.

unanimous.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

21-

unanimous fentence was pronounced to ratify the equal Deity of the C^xvii?'

Holy Ghoft ; the myfterious doctrine has been received by all the 1 * *

nations, and all the churches of the Christian world ; and their
grateful reverence has a/signed to the bifliops of Theodofius, the
fecond rank among the general councils *> Their knowledge of reli-
gious truth may have been preferved by tradition, or it may have
been communicated by infpiration ; but the fober evidence of hiftory
will not allow much weight to the perfonal authority of the fathers
of Constantinople. In an age, when the ecclesiastics had fcanda-
loufly degenerated, from the model of apoftolical purity, the mod.
worthlefs and corrupt were always the mod eager to frequent, and
difturb, the epifcopal aiTemblies. The conflict and fermentation of
fo many oppofite interests and tempers inflamed the pafTions of the
bilhops : and their ruling paflions were, the love of gold, and the love
of diipute. Many of the, fame prelates who now applauded the or-
thodox piety of Theodofius, had repeatedly changed, with prudent
flexibility, their creeds and opinions ; and in the various revolutions,
of the church and ftate, the religion of their fovereign was the ruler
of their obfequious faith. When the emperor fufpended his prevail-
ing influence, the turbulent fynod was blindly impelled, by the abfurd
or felflm motives of pride, hatred, and refentment. The death of
Meletius, which happened at the council of Constantinople, pre-
fented the moft favourable opportunity of terminating the fchifm of
Antioch, by fuffering his aged rival, Paulinus, peaceably to end his
days in the epifcopal chair. The faith and virtues of Paulinus were
unblemiflied. But his caufe was supported by the Western churches:
and the bifhops of the fynod refolved to perpetuate the mifchiefs of

A1 The firft general council of Comtanti- perplexes, and almoft Staggers, the humble
nople now triumphs in the Vatican : but the Tillemont (Mem. Ecclef. torn. ix. p. 499,
pcpeshad long hefitated, and their heiitation 50c).

difcord,

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Retreat of
Gregory
Nazianzen,
A. D. 381.

CXXVIIP difcord, by the hafty ordination of a perjured candidate **, rather
v., .* than to betray the imagined dignity of the Eaft, which had been
illuftrated by the birth and death of the Son of God. Such unjuft
and diforderly proceedings forced the graveft members of the alTem-
bly to diflent and to fecede; and the clamorous majority, which
remained matters of the field of battle, could be compared only to
wafps or magpies, to a flight of cranes, or to a flock of geefe

A fufpicion may pombly arife, that fo unfavourable a picture
of ecclefiaftical fynods has been drawn by the partial hand of fome
obftinate heretic, or fome malicious infidel. But the name of the
fincere hiftorian who has conveyed this inftructive leflbn to the know-
ledge of pofterity, muft filence the impotent murmurs of fuperftition
and bigotry. He was one of the moft pious and eloquent bifhops
of the age ; a faint and a doctor of the church ; the fcourge of Arian-
ifm, and the pillar of the orthodox faith ; a diftinguifhed member
of the council of Conftantinople, in which, after the death of Mele-
tius, he exercifed the functions of prefident : in a word — Gregory
Nazianzen himfelf. The harfh and ungenerous treatment which he
experienced *5, inftead of derogating from the truth of his evidence,
affords an additional proof of the fpirit which actuated the delibera-

43 Before the death of Meletius, fix or
eight of his moft popular ecclefiaftics, among
whom was Flavian, had abjured, for the
fake of peace, the bifhopric of Antioch
(Sozomen, I. vii. c. 3. 11. Socrates, I. v.
c. 5.). Tillemont thinks it his duty to dif-
believe the ftory ; but he owns that there are
many circumftances in the life of Flavian,,
which feem inconfiftent with the praifes of
Chryfoftom, and the character of a faint
(Mem. Ecclef. torn. x. p. 541 .).

44 Confult Gregory Nazianzen, de Vita
fua, torn. ii. p. 25 — 28. His general and
particular opinion of the clergy and their af-

femblies, may be feen in verfe and profe
(torn. i. orat. i. p. 33. epift. Iv. p. 814.
torn. ii. carmen x. p. 81.). Such pafiages
are faintly marked by Tillemont, and fairly
produced by Le Clerc.

45 See Gregory, torn. ii. de Vita fua, p.
28 — 31. The fourteenth, twenty-feventh,
and thirty-fecond orations were pronounced
in the feveral ftages of this bufinefs. The
peroration of the laft (torn. i. p. 528.), in
which he takes a folemn leave of men and
angels, the city and the emperor, the Er.fr
and the Weft, &c. is pathetic, and almoft
fublime.

•tions

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

tions of the fynod. Their unanimous iuffrage had confirmed the CHAP.

. . . . XXVII.
pretenfions which the bifhop of Conftantinople derived from the 1 '

choice of the people, and the approbation of the emperor. But
Gregory foon became the victim of malice and envy. The bifhops
of the Eaft, his ftrenuous adherents, provoked by his moderation in
the affairs of Antioch, abandoned him, without fupport, to the ad-
verfe faction of the Egyptians ; who difputed the validity of his
election, and rigoroufly averted the obfolete canon, that prohibited
the licentious practice of epifcopal tranflations. The pride, or the
humility, of Gregory prompted him to decline a conteft which
might have been imputed to ambition and avarice ; and he publicly
offered, not without fome mixture of indignation, to renounce the
government of a church, which had been reftored, and almoft cre-
ated, by his labours. His refignation was accepted by the fynod,
and by the emperor, with more readinefs than he feems to have
expected. At the time when he might have hoped to enjoy the
fruits of his victory, his epifcopal throne was filled by the fenator
Nectarius ; and the new archbifhop, accidentally recommended
by his eafy temper and venerable afpect, was obliged to delay
the ceremony of his confecration, till he had previoufly difpatched
the rites of his baptifm 4\ After this remarkable experience of the
ingratitude of princes and prelates, Gregory retired once more to his
obfeure folitude of Cappadocia ; where he employed the remainder
of his life, about eight years, in the exercifes of poetry and devo-
tion. The title of Saint has been added to his name ; but the ten-
dernefs of his heart 4?, and the elegance of his genius, reflect a more
pleafing luftre on the memory of Gregory Nazianzen.

46 The whimfical ordination of Neftarius is furtout pour Theodofe, qu'il vaut mieux
attefted by Sozomen (I. vii. c. 8.) : but Til- travailler a le detruire, qu'a le foutenir; an
lemont obferves (Mem. Ecclef. torn. ix. p. admirable canon of criticifm !
719.), Apres tout, ce narre de Sozomene eft *7 I can only be underftood to mean, that
ii honteux pour tous ceux qu'il y mele, et fuch was his natural temper ; when it was

not

^ THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. It was not enough that Theodofius had fuppreffed the infoletft

XXVII.

v__^— reign of Arianifm, or that he had ahundantl}' revenged the injuries
TheodoLs which the Catholics fuftained from the zeal of Conftantius and Va-
htreticsthe ^ens* ^e orthodox emperor confidered every heretic as a rebel
A.D. 380— againft the fupreme powers of heaven, and of earth; and each of
thofe powers might cxercife their peculiar jurifdi&ion over the foul
and body of the guilty. The decrees of the council of Conftantinoplc
had afcertained the true ftandard of the faith ; and the ecclefiaftics,
who governed the confcience of Theodofius, fuggefted the molt ef-
fectual methods of perfecution. In the fpace of fifteen years, he
-promulgated at leaft fifteen fevere edicts againft the heretics 4' ; more
•efpecially againft thofe who rejected the doctrine of the Trinity;
and, to deprive them of every hope of efcape, he fternly enacted,
that if any laws, or refcripts, ihould be alleged in their favour, the
judges fhould confider them as the illegal productions either of
fraud, or forgery. The penal ftatutes were directed againft the mi-
nifters, the affemblies, and the perfons, of the heretics ; and the
paflions of the legiflator were exprefled in the language of declama-
tion and invective. I. The heretical teachers, who ufurped the facred
titles of Bifhops, or Prefbyters, were not only excluded from the
privileges and emoluments fo liberally granted to the orthodox clergv,
but they were expofed to the heavy penalties of exile and confifca-
•tion, if they prefumed to preach the doctrine, or to practife the
rites, of their otcurfod fects. A fine of ten pounds of gold (above
four hundred pounds Sterling) was impofed on every perfon who
ihould dare to confer, or receive, or promote, an heretical ordina-
tion : and it was reafonably expected, that if the race of paftors could
:be extinguifhed, their helplefs flocks would be compelled, by igno-

/iot hardened, or inflamed, by religious zeal. 48 See the Theodofian Code, 1. xvi. tit. v.
From his retirement, he exhorts Neclarius IeS' 6~23-» wIth Godefroy's commentary

r .> 1 • r r> n. i on e2Ch law, and his general fummary, or

-iO profecute the heretics of Conftantinople. n . , ■

Faratitlon? torn. vi. p. 104 — 110.

3 ranee

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 25

ranee and hunger, to return within the pale of the Catholic Church. GJyimjP'
II. The rigorous prohibition of conventicles was carefully extended
to every poflible circumftan.ee, in which the heretics could aflcmble
with the intention of worfhipping God and Chrift according to the
dictates of their confeience. Their religious meetings, whether pub-
lic or fecret, by day or by night, in cities or in the country, were
equally profcribed by the edicts of Theodofms ; and the building, or
ground, which had been ufed for that illegal purpofe, was forfeited
to the Imperial domain. III. It was fuppofed, that the error of
the heretics could proceed only from the obftinate temper of their
minds ; and that fuch a temper was a fit object of cenfure and pu-
nifhment. The anathemas of the church were fortified by a fort of
civil excommunication ; which feparated them from their fellow-
citizens, by a peculiar brand of infamy ; and this declaration of the
fupreme magiftrate tended to juftify, or at leaft to excufe, the infults
of a fanatic populace. The fectaries were gradually difqualified for
the pofTeffion of honourable, or lucrative, employments ; and Theo-
dofms was fatisfied with his own juftice, when he decreed, that, as
the Eunomians dittinguifned the nature of the Son from that of the
Father, they fhould be incapable of making their wills, or of receiv-
ing any advantage from teftamentary donations. The guilt of the
Manichscan herefy was efteemed of fuch magnitude, that it could be
expiated only by the death of the offender ; and the fame capital
punifhment was inflicted on the Audians, or Quartodccimam 49, who
Ihould dare to perpetrate the atrocious crime, of celebrating, on an
improper day, the feftival of EaRer. FLvery Roman might exercile
the right of public accufation ; but the office of hiquifitors of the
Faith, a name fo defervedly abhorred, was firft inftituted under the

49 They always kept their Eafter, like the ar.d Nicer.c fyr.cd, which had f.xed Eafter to

Jewi(h Paflbver, on the fourteenth day of the a Sunday. Bingham's Antiquities, 1. XX.

firft moon after the vernal equinox ; and thus c. 5. vol. ii. p. 300. (61, edit,
pertinacioufly oppofed the Roman church

Vol. III. E reign

THE DECLINE AND FALL

VII reign of Theodofius. Yet we are allured, that the execution of
v — — ' his penal edicts was feldom enforced ; and that the pious emperor
appeared lefs defirous to punifh, than to reclaim, or terrify, his
refractory fubjects 5°.
|J£c.,!fion of The theory of perfecution was eftablifhed by Theodofius, whofe

Prilcillian

and huaflb- jufticc and piety have been applauded by the faints; but the practice

ciates, 4

A. D. 585. of it, in the fulleft extent, was referved for his rival and colleague
Maximus, the nrft, among the Chriftian princes, who fhed the
blood of his Chriftian fubje&s, on account of their religious opinions.
The caufc of the Prifeillianifts SI, a recent feet of heretics, who difturbed
the provinces of Spain, was transferred, by appeal, from the fynod
of Bourdeaux to the Imperial confiftory of Treves ; and by the fen-
tence of the Praetorian prrcfect, feven perfons were tortured, con-
demned, and executed. The nrft of thefe was Prifcillian 51 himfelf,
bifhop of Avila in Spain ; who adorned the advantages of birth
and fortune, by the accomplifhments of eloquence and learning-
Two prefbyters, and two deacons, accompanied their beloved mafter
in his death, which they efteemed as a glorious martyrdom ; and the
number of religious victims was completed by the execution of La-
tronian, a poet, who rivalled the fame of the ancients ; and of Eu-
chrocia, a noble matron of Bourdeaux, the widow of the orator
Dclphidius * Two bifliops, who had embraced the fentiments of

Prifcillian,

s° Sozomen, 1. vK. c. 12. fi non pravo ftudio corrumpi/Tet optimum

51 Sec the facred hiftory of Sulpicius Seve- internum : prorfus multa in eo animi et cor-
rus (1. ii- p- -437 — 45 2. edit. Lugd. Bat. poris bona ccrnercs (Hilt. Sacra, 1. ii. p.
1647.), a con-eft and original writer. Dr. 439.)- Even Jero;n (torn. i. in Script. Ec-
Lardner (Credibility, &c. part ii. vol. ix. p'. clef. p. 302.) fpeaks with temper of Prifcil-
2-6 — 550 ) has laboured this article, with lian and Latroiiian.

pure learning, good fenfe, and mouera- 53 The biftiopric (in Old Caftile) is now
tion. Tillemont (Mem. Ecclef. torn. viii. worth 20,000 ducats a year (Bufching's Geo-
p. 491 — 527.) has raked together all the dirt graphy, vol. ii. p. 308.), and is therefore
of the fathers : an ufeful fcavenger ! much lefs likely to produce the author of a

51 Severus Sulpicius mentions the arch- new herefy.
heretic with efteem and pity. Fxlix profe&o, 54 Exprobabatur mulieri vidux nimia re-

lig«>>

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.
Prifcillian, were condemned to a diftant and dreary exile 55 ; and C H A P.

r • XXVII.

fome indulgence was fhewn to the meaner criminals, who affumed i /

the merit of an early repentance. If any credit could be allowed to
confeffions extorted by fear or pain, and to vague reports, the offspring
of malice and credulity, the herefy of the Prifcillianifts would be
found to include the various abominations of magic, of impiety, and
of lewdnefs s6. Prifcillian, who wandered about the world in the
company of his fpiritual filters, was accufed of praying ftark-naked
in the midft of the congregation; and it was confidently aflerted,
that the effects of his criminal intercourfe with the daughter of Eu-
chrocia, had been fuppreffed, by means il. ill more odious and
criminal. But an accurate, or rather a candid, enquiry, will dis-
cover, that if the Prifcillianifts violated the laws of nature, it was
not by the licentioufnefs, but by the aufterity, of their lives. They
abfolutely condemned the ufe of the marriage-bed ; and the peace of
families was often difturbed by indifcreet feparations. They enjoined,
or recommended, a total abftinence from all animal food ; and their
continual prayers, fafts, and vigils, inculcated a rule of ftricr. and
perfect devotion. The fpeculative tenets of the fed:, concerning the
perfon of Chrift, and the nature of the human foul, were derived
from the Gnoftic and Manichaean fyftem ; and this vain philofophy,
which had been tranfported from Egypt to Spain, was ill adapted to
the groffer fpirits of the Weft. The obfcure difciples of Prifcillian
fuffered, languifhed, and gradually difappeared : his tenets were re-
jected by the clergy and people, but his death was the fubject of a
long and vehement controverfy ; while fome arraigned, and others

ligio, et diligentius culta divinitas (Pacat. in of Sally (Cambden's Britannia; vol. ii. p.

Panegyr. Vet. xii. 29.). Such was the idea iSI9-) ■

of a humane, though ignorant, polytheift. 56 The fcandalous calumnies of Auguftin,

{< _ c , r . _ ... . Pope Leo, &c. which Tillemont fwallows

55 One or them was lent in Sylhnam in- r, , •, , , r , ,. ...

' like a child, and Lardner refutes like a man,

fulam qu£ ultra Britanniam eft. What muft may fuggeft fome camlid fu/picioils in favour

have been the ancient condition of the rocks of theoldcr GnolHcs.

E 2 applauded,

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CJvvV' applauded, the juftice of his fentence. It is with pleafure that we

/VA VII*

' ■ ' can obferve, the humane inconfifhency of the raoft illuftrious faints

and bifliops, Ambrofe of Milan and Martin of Tours 53 j who, on
this occafion, afferted the caufe of toleration. They pitied the un-
happy men, who had been executed at Treves ; they refufed to hold
communion with their epifcopal murderers ; and if Martin deviated
from that generous refolution, his motives were laudable, and his
repentance was exemplary. The bifhops of Tours and Milan pro-
nounced, without hefitation, the eternal damnation of heretics j but
they were furprifed, and fhocked, by the bloody image of their tem-
poral death, and the honeft feelings of nature refifted the artificial
prejudices of theology. The humanity of Ambrofe and Martin was
confirmed by the fcandalous irregularity of the proceedings againft
Prifcillian, and his adherents. The civil and ecclefiaftical minifters
had tranfgrefted the limits of their refpective provinces. The fecular
judge had prefumed to receive an appeal, and to pronounce a defini-
tive fentence, in a matter of faith, and epifcopal jurifdiction. The
biihops had difgraced themfelves, by exercifing the functions of ac-
cufers in a criminal profecution. The cruelty of Ithacius who
beheld the tortures, and folicited the death, of the heretics, provoked
the juft indignation of mankind ; and the vices of that profligate bi-
fhop were admitted as a proof, that his zeal was mitigated by the
fordid motives of intereft. Since the death of Prifcillian, the rude
attempts of perfecution have been refined and methodifed in the
holy office, which afligns their diftinct parts to the ecclefiaftical
and fecular powers. The devoted victim is regularly delivered by

57 Ambrof. torn. ii. epift. xxiv. p. 891. angel ; nor could he afterwards perform mi-
53 In the Sacred Hiftory, and the Life of St. racles with fo much eafe.
Martin, Sulpicius Severus ufesfome caution ; .S.9 The Catholic preibyter (Sulp. Sever.

• l i 1 us rir r 1 1. ii. p. 448.), and the pagan Orator (Pacat.

but he declares himielr mere freely 111 the . r ^ *? .. t 0 v

, .... \ »/r . a in P-mcgyr. Vet. xn. 29.), reprobate, with

Dialoeues (in. IC.). Martin was reproved, , . . . T n • 7 ^

s v 5 ; f , e1ual indignation, the character and conduct

however, by his own confcience, and by an ef it]iaciU5<

the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

the prieft to the magiftrate, and by the magiftrate to the executioner ; CJ£v]jP'

and the inexorable fentence of the church, which declares the fpiri— 1 „ '

tual guilt of the offender, is expreffed in the mild language of pity
and interceffion.

Among the ecclefiaftics, who illuflrated the reign of Theodofius, Ambrofe,

. , archjifhopof

Gregory Nazianzen was diftmguifhed by the talents of an eloquent Milan,
preacher; the reputation of miraculous gifts, added weight and , ' ' 3/+~~
dignity to the monaflic virtues of Martin of Tours60 ; but the palm
of epifcopal vigour and ability was juftly claimed by the intrepid
Ambrofe 61. He was defcended from a noble family of Romans ;
his father had exercifed the important office of Praetorian prefect of
Gaul j and the fon, after paffing through the ftudies of a liberal edu-
cation, attained, in the regular gradation of civil honours, the Ration
of confular of Liguria, a province which included the Imperial re-
fidence of Milan. At the age of thirty-four, and before he had re-
ceived the facrament of baptifm, Ambrofe, to his own furprife, and
to that of the world, was fuddenly transformed from a governor to
an archbifhop. Without the leafh mixture, as it is faid, of art or
intrigue, the whole body of the people unanimouily faluted him with
the epifcopal title ; the concord and perfeverance of their acclama-
tions were afcribed to a preternatural impulfe ; and the reluctant ma-
giftrate was compelled to undertake a fpiritual office, for which he.
was not prepared by the habits and occupations of his former life.
But the active force of his genius foon qualified him to exercife, with
zeal and prudence, the duties of his ecclefiaftical jurifdiction ; and,
while he cheerfully renounced the vain and fplendid trapping* of

60 The life of St. Martin, and the Dia- 61 The fhort and fuperficial life of St.

logues concerning his miracles, contain facts Ambrofe, by his deacon Paulinus (Appendiv

adapted to the groffeft barbarifm, in a ftyle ad edit. Benedict, p. i — xv.), has the merit

not unworthy of the Auguftan age. So natu- of original evidence. Tillemont (Mem.

ral is the alliance between good tafte and Ecclef. torn. x. p. 78 — 306.), and the Bene-

good fenfe, that I am always aftonuhed by dicline editors (p. xxxi— lxiii.), have laboured,

ihis contraft. with their ufual diligence.

temporal

3o THE DECLINE AND FALL

^xxvn?' temPora^ greatnefs, he condefcended, for the good of the church, to

\ v ; direct the confcience of the emperors, and to controul the admini-

ftration of the empire. Gratian loved and revered him as a father ;
and the elaborate treatife on the faith of the Trinity, was defigned
for the inftruction of the young prince. After his tragic death, at a
time when the emprefs Juftina trembled for her own fafety, and
for that of her fon Valentinian, the archbifhop of Milan was dif-
patched, on two different embaflies, to the court of Treves. He exer-
cifed, with equal firmnefs and dexterity, the powers of his fpiritua}
and political characters; and perhaps contributed, by his authority
and eloquence, to check the ambition of Maximus, and to protect
the peace of Italy61. < Ambrofe had devoted his life, and his abilities,
to the fervice of the church. Wealth was the object of his con-
tempt ; he had renounced his private patrimony ; and he fold, with-
out hefitation, the confecrated plate for the redemption of captives.
The clergy and people of Milan were attached to their archbifhop ;
and he deferved the efteem, without foliciting the favour, or appre-
hending the difpleafure, of his feeble fovereigns.
His fuccefs- The government of Italy, and of the young emperor, naturally

fid opposition m i

to the em- devolved to his mother Juftina, a woman of beauty and fpirit, but
aTd. : 3S5T' wh°> m tne rciidft of an orthodox people, had the misfortune of
April ioT profeffing the Arian herefy, which fhe endeavoured to inftil into the
mind of her fon. Juftina was perfuaded, that a Roman emperor
might claim, in his own dominions, the public exercife of his reli-
gion ; and fhe propofed to the archbifhop, as a moderate and rea-
fonable conceffion, that he mould refign the ufe of a fingle church,
either in the city or fuburbs of Milan. But the conduct of Ambrofe
was governed by very different principles63. The palaces of the

earth

" . 61 Ambrofe himfelf (torn. ii. epift. xxiv. *3 His own reprefentation of his principles

p. 888 — 891.) gives the emperor a very fpi- and conduct (torn. ii. epift. xx. xxi. xxii. p.
rited account of his own embafly. 852—880.) is one of the curious monuments

* 2

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

earth might indeed belong to Ccefar ; but the churches were the
houfes of God ; and, within the limits of his diocefe, he himfelf, as
the lawful fucceflbr of the apoftles, was the only minifter of God.
The privileges of Chriftianity, temporal as well as fpi ritual, were
confined to the true believers ; and the mind of Ambrofe was fatis-
fied, that his own theological opinions were the ftandard of truth and
orthodoxy. The archbifhop, who refufed to hold any conference,
or negociation, with the inftruments of Satan, declared, with modeft
firmnefs, his refolution to die a martyr, rather than to yield to the
impious facrilege ; and Juftina, who refented the rcfufal as an acl: of
infolence and rebellion, haftily determined to exert the Imperial pre-
rogative of her fon. As Ihe defired to perform her public devotions on
the approaching feftival of Eafter, Ambrofe was ordered to appear
before the council. He obeyed the fummons with the refpect of a
faithful fubje£t, but he was followed, without his confent, by an
innumerable people : they preffed, with impetuous zeal, againft the
gates of the palace ; and the affrighted minifters of Valentinian, inftead
of pronouncing a fentence of exile on the archbifhop of Milan,
humbly requefted that he would interpofe his authority, to protect
the perfon of the emperor, and to reftore the tranquillity of the ca-
pital. But the promifes which Ambrofe received and communicated,
were foon violated by a perfidious court ; and, during fix of the
moft folemn days, which Chriftian piety has fet apart for the exer-
cife of religion, the city was agitated by the irregular convuliions of
tumult and fanaticifm. The officers of the houfehold were directed
to prepare, firft, the Portian, and afterwards, the new, Bafdica, for the
immediate reception of the emperor, and his mother. The fplendid
canopy and hangings of the royal feat were arranged in the cuftomary
manner ; but it was found neceffary to defend them, bv a ftrong

of ecclefiaftical antiquity. It ccntains two tion to Valentinian, and the fermon de Baji-
letters to his fnler Marcellina, with a peti- Hits non tradendis.

guard,

THE DECLINE AND FALL

guard, from the infults of the populace. The Arian ecclefiaftics, who
ventured to fhew themfelves in the ftreets, were expofed to the mod
imminent clanger of their lives : and Ambrofe enjoyed the merit
and reputation of refcuing his perfonal enemies from the hands of
the enraged multitude.

But while he laboured to reftrain the effects of their zeal, the
pathetic vehemence of his fermons continually inflamed the angry
and feditious temper of the people of Milan. The characters of
Eve, of the wife of Job, of Jezabel, of Herodias, were indecently
applied to the mother of the emperor ; and her defire to obtain a
church for the Arians, was compared to the raoft cruel perfecutions
which Chriftianity had endured under the reign of Paganifm. The
meafures of the court ferved only to expofe the magnitude of the
evil. A fine of two hundred pounds of gold was impofed on the
corporate body of merchants and manufacturers: an order was lig-
nified, in the name of the emperor, to all the officers, and inferior
fervants, of the courts of juftice, that, during the continuance of
the public diibrders, they mould ftrictly confine themfelves to their
houles : and the minifters of Valentinian imprudently confeiTed,
that the raoft refpectable part of the citizens of Milan was attached
to the caufe of their archbifhop. He was again folicited to reftore
peace to his country, by a timely compliance with the will of his
fovereign. The reply of Ambrofe was couched in the raoft humble
and refpectful terms, which might, however, be interpreted as a
ferious declaration of civil war. " His life and fortune were in the
" hands of the emperor ; but he would never betray the church of
" Ghrift, or degrade the dignity of the epifcopal character. In
" iuch a caufe, he was prepared to fuffer whatever the malice of the
" daemon could inf.ici ; and he only wifhed to die in the prefence
*' of his faithful flock, and at the foot of the altar ; he had not
" contributed to excite, but it was in the power of God alone to

1 " appeafe,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

appeafe, the rage of the people : he deprecated the fcenes of blood cJvt£TP*

XXVII.

" and confufion, which were likely to enfue ; and it was his fervent v— — v — — '
u prayer, that he might not furvive to behold the ruin of a flourifh-
" ing city, and perhaps the defolation of all Italy64." The obfti-
nate bigotry of Juftina would have endangered the empire of her
fon, if, in this conteft with the church and people of Milan, flic
could have depended on the active obedience of the troops of the
palace. A large body of Goths had marched to occupy the Bafilica*
which was the object of the difpute: and it might be expected from
the Arian principles, and barbarous manners, of thefe foreign mer-
cenaries, that they would not entertain any fcruples in the execution
of the ffloft fanguinary orders. They were encountered, on the facred
threfhold,by the archbimop,who, thundering againft them a fentence of
excommunication, afked them, in the tone of a father and a mafter,
Whether it was to invade the houfe of God, that they had implored the
hofpitable protection of the republic ? The fufpenfe of the Barba-
rians allowed fome hours for a more effectual negociation ; and the
emprefs was perfuaded, by the advice of her wifeft counfellors, to
leave the Catholics in pofTeffion of all the churches of Milan ;
and to dilTemble, till a more convenient feafon, her intentions of
-revenge. The mother of Valentinian could never forgive the triumph
of Ambrofe ; and the royal youth uttered a paffionate exclamation,
that his own fervants were ready to betray him into the hands of an
infolent prieit.

The laws of the empire, fome of which were inferibed with the A. D. 386,
name of Valentinian, ftill condemned the Arian herefy, and feemed

64 Retz had a fimilar mefiage from the de regret, et de foumiflion, &c. (Memoires,
queen, to requeft that he would appeafe the torn. i. p. 140.) Certainly I do not compare
tumult of Paris. It was no longer in his either the caufes, or the men ; yet the co-
power, &c. A quoi j'ajoutai tout ce que vous adjutor himfelf had fome idea (p. 84.) of
pouvez vous imaginer de refpeft, de douleur, imitating St. Ambrofe.

Vol. III. F to

THE DECLINE AND FALL

cJl£f* to excuse the refiftance of the Catholics. By the influence of Tuftiha*

A. A. V XI* *^

k an edict of toleration was promulgated in all the provinces whicfii
were fiibject to the court of Milan ; the free exercife of their reli-
gion was granted to thofe who profeffed the faith of Rimini ; and'
the emperor declared, that all perfons who mould infringe this facred
and falutary conftitution, fhould be capitally punilhed, as the enemies
of the public peace 6s~ The character and language of the archbifhop.
of Milan may juftify the fufpicion, that his conduct foon afforded a
reafonable ground, or at leaft a fpecious pretence, to the Arian mi-
- nifters; who watched the opportunity of furprifing him in fome act
of dilbbedience to a law, which he ftrangely reprefents as a law of
blood and tyranny. A fentence of eafy and honourable banifhment
was pronounced, which enjoined Ambrofe to depart from Milan
without delay ; whilft it permitted him to chufe the place of his
exile, and the number of his companions. But the authority of the-
faints, who have preached and practifed the maxims of paflive
loyalty, appeared to Ambrofe of lefs moment than the extreme and
preffing danger of the church. He boldly refufed to obey ; and his
refufal was fupported by the unanimous confent of his faithful peo-
ple es. They guarded by turns the perfon of their arcLbifhop ;
the gates of the cathedral and the epifccpal palace were itrongly
fecured ; and the Imperial troops, who had formed the blockade,
were unwilling to rifk the attack, of that impregnable fortrefs.
The numerous poor, who had been relieved by the liberality of
Ambrofe, embraced the fair occafion of (ignalifing their zeal and-
gratitude \ and as the patience of the multitude might have been ex-
haufted by the length and uniformity of nocturnal vigils, he pru-
dently introduced into the church of Milan the ufeful inftitution of a

65 Sozomen alone (1. vii. c. 13.) throws parata cum epifcopo fuo . . . Nos adhuc fri-
this luminous faftinto a dark and perplexed gidi excitabamur tamen civitate attonita
narrative. atque turbata. Auguftin. Confeffion. 1. ix»

66 Excubabat pia. piebs in ecclefia mori c. 7.

loud

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

loud and regular pfalmody. While he maintained this arduous con-
teft, he was inftructed, by a dream, to open the earth in a place
where the remains of two martyrs, Gcrvafius and Protafius 67, had
been depofited above three hundred years. Immediately under the
pavement of the church two perfect fkeletons were found c\ with the
heads feparated from their bodies, and a plentiful effufion of blood.
The holy relics were prefented, in folemn pomp, to the veneration
of the people ; and every circumftance of this fortunate difcovery
was admirably adapted to promote the defigns of Ambrofe. The
bones of the martyrs, their blood, their garments, were fuppofed to
contain a healing power; and the preternatural influence was com-
municated to the moft diftant objects, without lofing any part of its
original virtue. The extraordinary cure of a blind man 69, and the
reluctant confeffions of feveral dasmoniacs, appeared to juftify the
faith and fanctity of Ambrofe ; and the truth of thofe miracles is
attefted by Ambrofe himfelf, by his fecretary Paulinus, and by his
profelyte, the celebrated Auguftin, who, at that time, profefied the
art of rhetoric in Milan. The reafon of the prefent age may pofTibly
approve the incredulity of Juftina and her Arian court ; who de-
rided the theatrical reprefentations, which were exhibited by the
contrivance, and at the expence, of the archbilhop 7°. Their effect,
however, on the minds of the people, was rapid and irrefiftible ; and

67 Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. ii. p. 78.
498. Many churches in Italy, Gaul, &c.
were dedicated to thefe unknown martyrs,
of whom St. Gervafe feems to have been
more fortunate than his companion.

68 Invenimus mirae magnitudinis viros du-
os, ut prifca aetas ferebat. Tom. ii. epiit. xxii.
p. 875. The fize of thefe fkeletons was for-
tunately, or fitilfully, fuited to the popular
prejudice of the gradual decreafe of the hu-
man Mature ; which has prevailed in every
age fince the time of Homer.

Grandiaqueeftoflis mirabitur oflh fepulchris.

*9 Ambrof. torn. ii. epift. xxii. p. 875.
Auguftin. Confef. 1. ix. c. 7. de Civitat. Dei,
1. xxii. c. 8. Paulin. in Vita. St. Ambrof.
c. 14. in Append. Benedict., p. 4. The blind
man's name was Severus ; he touched the
holy garment, recovered his fight, and de-
voted the reft of his life (at leaft twenty-five
years) to the fervice of the church. I ihould
recommend this miracle to cur divines, if it
did not prove the worlhip of relics, as well
as the Nicene creed.

70 Paulin. in Vit. St. Ambrof. c, 5. in
Append. Benedict, p. 5.

F 2 the

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXVII.

Maximus in-
vades Italy,
A.D. 387,
Auguft.

the feeble fovereign of Italy found himfelf unable to contend with
the favourite of heaven. The powers likewife of the earth interpofed
in the defence of Ambrofe : the difinterefted advice of Theodofius
was the genuine refult of piety and friendlhip ; and the mafk of
religious zeal concealed the hoftile and ambitious defigns of the tyrant
of Gaul 7\

The reign of Maximus might have ended in peace and prorperity,,
could he have contented himfelf with the poffemon of three ample
countries, which now conftitute the three molt flouriming kingdoms
of modern Europe. But the afpiring ufurper, whofe fordid ambition
was not dignified by the love of glory and of arms, confidered his
actual forces as the inftruments only of his future greatnefs, and his.
fuccefs was the immediate caufe of his deftrudtion. The wealth
which he extorted72, from the oppreffed provinces of Gaul, Spain,
and Britain, was employed in levying and maintaining a formidable
army of Barbarians, collected, for the moft part,, from the fiercer!
nations of Germany. The conqueft of Italy was the object; of his
hopes and preparations; and he fecretly meditated the ruin of an
innocent youth, whofe government was abhorred and defpifed by
his Catholic fubjects. But as Maximus wimed to occupy, without
refiftance, the paffes of the Alps, he received, with perfidious fmile?>
Domninus of Syria, the ambaffador of Valentinian, and preffed him
to accept the aid of a considerable body of troops, for the fervice
of a Pannonian war. The penetration of Ambrofe had difcovered
the mares of an enemy under the profeffions of friendfhip 73 j but the

71 Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. x. p. than the feeble declamation of Pacatus (xii.

190. 750. He partially allows the media- 25, 26.)-

tion of Theodofius ; and capricioufly rejects 73 Eiio tutior adverfus hominem, pacis

that of Maximus, though it is attefted by involucro tegentem, was the wife caution of

Profper, Sozomen, and Theodoret. Ambrofe (torn. ii. p. 891.), after his return

71 The modeft cenfure of Sulpicius (Dia- from his fecond embaffy.
log. iii. 15.) inflifts a much deeper wound

Syrian

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

Syrian Domninus was corrupted, or deceived, by the liberal favour ^yf^y{*'
of the court of Treves ; and the council of Milan obftinately rejected c ~j
the fufpicion of danger, with a blind confidence, which was the
effect, not of courage, but of fear. The march of the auxiliaries
was guided by the ambalTador ; and they were admitted, without
diftruft, into the fortrefTes of the Alps. But the crafty tyrant fol-
lowed, with hafty and filent footfteps, in the rear; and, as he dili-
gently intercepted all intelligence of his motions, the gleam of ar-
mour, and the duft excited by the troops of cavalry, firft announced
the hoftile approach of a ftranger to the gates of Milan. In this
extremity, Juftina and her fon might accufe their own imprudence,
and the perfidious arts of Maximus ; but they wanted time, and
force, and refolution, to ftand againft the Gauls and Germans, either
in the field, or within the walls of a large and difaffected city.
Flight was their only hope, Aquileia their only refuge ; and as
Maximus now difplayed his genuine character, the brother of Gra-
tian might expect the fame fate from the hands of the fame afTaflin.
Maximus entered Milan in triumph; and if the wife archbifhop re-
fufed a dangerous and criminal connection with the ufurper, he might
indirectly contribute to the fuccefs of his arms, by inculcating, from
the pulpit, the duty of reiignation, rather than that of reiiftance 7+.
The unfortunate Juftina reached Aquileia in fafety ; but me diftrufted
the ftrength of the fortifications ; me dreaded the event of a fiege ;
and fhe refolved to implore the protection of the great Theodofius,
whofe power and virtue were celebrated in all the countries of the
Weft. A vefTel was fecretly provided to tranfport the Imperial fa-
mily ; they embarked with precipitation in one of the obfeure har-
bours of Venetia, or Iftria ; traverfed the whole extent of the Hadria-
tic and Ionian feas ; turned the extreme promontory of Peloponne-

74 Baronius (A. D. 387. N°63.) applies to this feafon of public diftrefs fome of the
penitential fermons of the archbifhop.

fusj

38 THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A B. fug. and, after a long, but fuccefsful, navigation, repofed themfelves

XXVII. t

<- „ 1 in the port of Thefialonica. All the fubjeds of Valentinian deferted

Flight of the caufe of a prince, who, by his abdication, had abfolved them from
Valentinian. ^e duty Gf allegiance ; and if the little city of JEmona, on the
verge of Italy, had not prefumed to ftop the career of his inglorious
victory, Maximus would have obtained, without a flruggle, the
fole poffeffion of the weftern empire.
Ses armsfin Inftead of inviting his royal guefts to the palace of Conftantino-
the caufe of _je Theodofius had fome unknown reafons to fix their refidence at

Valentinian, r 7

A. D. 387. Theffalonica ; but thefe reafons did not proceed from contempt or
indifference, as he fpeedily made a vifit to that city, accompanied by
the greateft part of his court and fenate. After the firft tender ex-
preflions of friendfhip and fympathy, the pious emperor of the Eaft
gently admonifhed Juftina, that the guilt of herefy was fometimes
punifhed in this world, as well as in the next ; and that the public
profeffion of the Nicene faith, would be the moil efficacious ftep to
promote the reftoration of her fon, by the fatisfaction which it muft
occafion both on earth and in heaven. The momentous queftion of
peace or war was referred, by Theodofius, to the deliberation of
his council ; and the arguments which might be alleged on the fide
of honour and juftice, had acquired, fince the death of Gratian,
a confiderable degree of additional weight. The perfecution of the
Imperial family, to which Theodofius himfelf had been indebted for
his fortune, was now aggravated by recent and repeated injuries.
Neither oaths nor treaties could reftrain the boundlefs ambition of
Maximus ; and the delay of vigorous and decifive meafures, inftead
g£ prolonging the bleffrngs of peace, would expofe the eaftern em-
pire to the danger of an hoftile invafion. The Barbarians, who had
palled the Danube, had lately affumed the character of foldiers and
fubjects, but their native fiercenefs was yet untamed ; and the ope-
rations of a war, which would exercife their valour, and diminifh

their

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

tlieir numbers, might tend to relieve the provinces from an intole- c f' f

A A V II.

rable oppreffion. Notwithstanding thefe fpecious and folid reafons, ' v— — '

which were approved by a majority of the council, Theodofius ftill
hefitated whether he mould draw the fword in a conteft, which
could no longer admit any terms of reconciliation ; and his mag-
nanimous character was not difgraced by the apprehenfions wrhich
he felt for the fafety of his infant fons, and the welfare of his ex-
haufted people. In this moment of anxious doubt, while the fate
of the Roman, world depended on the refolution of a fmgle man, the
charms of the princefs Galla moft powerfully pleaded the caufe of
her brother Valentinian 7S. The heart of Theodofius was foftened by
the tears of beauty ; his affections were infennbly engaged by the
graces of youth and innocence; the art of Juftina managed and di-
rected the impulfe of paffion ; and the celebration of the royal nup-
tials was the affurance and fignal of the civil war. The unfeeling
critics, who confider every amorous weaknefs as an indelible ftain
on the memory of a great and orthodox emperor, are inclined, on
this occafion, to difpute the fufpicious evidence of the hiftorian Zo-
fimus. For my own part, I mail frankly confefs, that I am willing
to find, or even to feek, in the revolutions of the world, fome traces
of the mild and tender fentiments of domeftic life ; and, amidft the
crowd of fierce and ambitious conquerors, I can diftinguilh, with
peculiar complacency, a gentle hero, who may be fuppofed to re-
ceive his armour from the hands of love. The alliance of the Perfian
king was fecured by the faith of treaties j the martial Barbarians were
perfuaded to follow the ftandard, or to refpect the frontiers, of an
active and liberal monarch ; and the dominions of Theodofius, from

75 The flight of Valentinian, and the love fius (Hilt, des Empereurs, torn. v. p. 740.),
of Theodofius for his After, are related by and confequentV to refute ces contes de Zo-
Zofimus (1. iv. p. 263, 264.). Tiiiemont fime, qui feroient trop contraires a ia piete
produces fome weak and ambiguous evi- ince de Theodofe..
jo antedate the fecond marriage of Theodo-

the

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXVII.

defeat and
death of
Maxim us,
A.D.388,
June — Au-
.guft.

the Euphrates to the Hadriatic, refounded with the preparations of
war both by land and fea. The fkilful difpofition of the forces of
the Eaft feemed to multiply their numbers, and diftracted the atten-
tion of Maximus. He had reafon to fear, that a chofen body of
troops, under the command of the intrepid Arbogaftes, would direct
their march along the banks of the Danube, and boldly penetrate
through the Rhaetian provinces into the centre of Gaul. A power-
ful fleet was equipped in the harbours of Greece and Epirus, with
an apparent defign, that as foon as the pafiage had been opened by
a naval victory, Valentinian, and his mother, mould land in Italy,
proceed, without delay, to Rome, and occupy the majeftic feat of
religion and empire. In the mean while, Theodofius himfelf advanced
at the head of a brave and difciplined army, to encounter his un-
worthy rival, who, after the fiege of iEmona, had fixed his camp
in the neighbourhood cf Sifcia, a city of Pannonia, ftrongly forti-
fied by the broad and rapid ftream of the Save.

The veterans, who ftill remembered the long refiftance, and fuc-
ceflive refources, of the tyrant Magnentius, might prepare themfelves
for the labours of three bloody campaigns. But the conteft with his
fucceffbr, who, like him, had ufurped the throne of the Weft, was
eafily decided in the term of two months 7<s, and within the fpace of
two hundred miles. The fuperior genius of the emperor of the
Eaft might prevail over the feeble Maximus ; who, in this important
crifis, fhewed himfelf deftitute of military (kill, or perfonal cou-
rage ; but the abilities of Theodofius were feconded by the advantage
which he poffefled of a numerous and active cavalry. The Huns,
the Alani, and, after their example, the Goths themfelves, were
formed into fquadrons of archers ; who fought on horfeback, and
vconfounded the fteady valour of the Gauls and Germans, by the

75 .See Godefroy's Chronology of the Laws, Cod. Theodof. tcm, i. p. cxix.

.3 ■

rapid

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 41

rapid motions of a Tartar war. After the fatigue of a long march, cJZ£f

in the heat of fummer, they fpurred their foaming horfes into the v « '

waters of the Save, fwam the river in -the prefence of the enemy,
and inftantly charged and routed the troops who guarded the high
ground on the oppofite fide. Marcellinus, the tyrant's brother,
advanced to fupport them with the felect cohorts, which were con-
fidered as the hope and ftrength of the army. The action, which
had been interrupted by the approach of night, was renewed in the
morning ; and, after a (harp conflict, the furviving remnant of the
braveft foldiers of Maximus threw down their arms at the feet of the
conqueror. Without fufpending his march, to receive the loyal
acclamations of the citizens of iEmona, Theodofms prefled forwards,
to terminate the war by the death or captivity of his rival, who fled
before him with the diligence of fear. From 'he fummit of the
Julian Alps, he defcended with fuch incredible fpeed into the plain
of Italy, that he reached Aquileia on the evening of the firft day ;
and Maximus, who found himfelf encompaffed on all fides, had
Scarcely time to {hut the gates of the city. But the gates could not
long refill: the effort of a victorious enemy ; and the defpair, the
difaffe&ion, the indifference of the foldiers and people, haftened the
downfall of the wretched Maximus. He was dragged from his
throne, rudely {tripped of the Imperial ornaments, the robe, the
diadem, and the purple flippers ; and conducted, like a malefactor,
to the camp and prefence of Theodofms, at a place about three
miles from Aquileia. The behaviour of the emperor was not intended
to infult, and he mewed fome difpofition to pity' and forgive, the
tyrant of the Weft, who had never been his perfonal enemy, and
was now become the object of his contempt. Our fympathy is the
moft forcibly excited by the misfortunes to which we are expofed ;
and the fpectacle of a proud competitor, now proftrate at his feet,
could not fail of producing very ferious and folemn thoughts in the
Vol. III. G mind

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XXVII.
< „ '

Virtues of
Theodofius.

mind of the victorious emperor. But the feeble emotion of invo-
luntary pity was checked by his regard for public juftice, and the
memory of Gratian ; and he abandoned' the victim to the pious zeal
of the foldiers, who drew him out of the Imperial prefence, and
inftantly feparated his head from his body. The intelligence of his
defeat and death was received with fmcere, or well-difTembled, joy i
his fon Victor, on whom he had conferred the title of Auguftus,
died by the order, perhaps by the hand, of the bold Arbogaftes;
and all the military plans of Theodofius were fuccefsfully executed..
When he had thus terminated the civil war, with lefs difficulty and
bloodfhed than he might naturally expect, he employed the winter
months of his refidence at Milan, to reftore the ftate of the afflicted
provinces ; and early in the fpring he made, after the example of
Conftantine and Conftantius, his triumphal entry into the ancient
capital of the Roman empire ".

The orator, who may be filent without danger, may praife with-
out difficulty, and without reluctance 78 ; and pofterity will confefs,
that the character of Theodofius 79 might furnifh the fubject of a fm-
cere and ample panegyric. The wifdom of his laws, and the fuc-
cefs of his arms, rendered his adminiftration refpectable in the eyes
both of his fubjects, and of his enemies. He loved and practifed

" Befides the hints which may be gathered
from chronicles and ecclefiaftical hiftory, Zo-
fimus (l.iv. p. 259—267.), Orofius (1. vii. c.
35.), and Pacatus (in Panegyr. Vet. xii. 30

47.), fupply the loofe and fcanty materials

of this civil war. Ambrofe (torn. ii. epift.
xl. p 952, 953.) darkly alludes to the well-'
known events of a magazine furprifed, an
aftion at Petovio, a Sicilian, perhaps a naval,
viftory, &c. Aufonius (p. 256. edit. Toll.)
applauds the peculiar merit, and good for-
tune, of Aquileia.

78 Quam promptum laudare principem,
tarn tutum filuifl'e de principe (Pacat. in Pa-

negyr. Vet. xii. 2.). Latinus Pacatus Dre-
panius, a native of Gaul, pronounced this
oration at Rome (A. D. 388.). He was af-
terwards proconful of Africa ; and his friend
Aufonius praifes him as a poet, fecond only
to Virgil. See Tillemont, Hill, des Empe-
reurs, torn. v. p. 303.

79 See the fair portrait of Theodofius, by
the younger Victor ; the ftrokes are diftinft,
and the colours are mixed. The praife of
Pacatus is too vague ; and Claudian always
feems afral'. of exalting the father above the
fon.

the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

the virtues of domeftic life, which feldom hold their refidence in the Cx?^If

palaces of kings. Theodofms was chafte and temperate : he enjoyed, \ , — -»

without excefs, the fenfual and focial pleafures of the table ; and the
warmth of his amorous paffions was never diverted from their lawful
objects. The proud titles of Imperial greatnefs were adorned by the
tender names of a faithful hufband, an indulgent father; his uncle
was raifed, by his affectionate efteem, to the rank of a fecond pa-
rent : Theodofms embraced, as his own, the children of his brother
and fifter ; and the expreffions of his regard were extended to the
moft diftant and obfcure branches of his numerous kindred. His
familiar friends were judicioufly felected from among thofe perfons,
who, in the equal intercourfe of private life, had appeared before his
eyes without a mafk: the confcioufnefs of perfonal and fuperior
merit enabled him to defpife the accidental diftinction of the purple ;
and he proved by his conduct, that he had forgotten all the inju-
ries, while he moft gratefully remembered all the favours and
fervices, which he had received before he afcended the throne of
the Roman empire. The ferious, or lively, tone of his converfation,
was adapted to the age, the rank, or the character, of his fubjects
whom he admitted into his fociety; and the affability of his man-
ners difplayed the image of his mind. Theodofms refpected the
fimplicity of the good and virtuous ; every art, every talent, of an
ufeful, or even of an innocent, nature, was rewarded by his judi-
cious liberality ; and, except the heretics, whom he perfecuted with
implacable hatred, the diffufive circle of his benevolence was cir-
cumfcribed only by the limits of the human race. The government
of a mighty empire may afluredly fuffice to occupy the time, and
the abilities, of a mortal : yet the diligent prince, without afpiring
to the unfuitable reputation of profound learning, always referved
fome moments of his leifure for the inftructive amufement of read-
ing. Hiftory, which enlarged his experience, was his favourite

G 2 ftud>\

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. ftudy. The annals of R.ome, in the long period of eleven hurt*

v. — „ r dred years, prefented him with a various and fplendid picture cf

human life ; and it has been particularly obferved, that whenever he
perufed the cruel acts of Cinna, of Marius, or of Sylla, he warmly
exprefled his generous deteftation of thofe enemies of humanity and
freedom. His difinterefted opinion of part events was ufefully ap-
plied as the rule of his own actions ; and Theodofius has deferved
the fingular commendation, that his virtues always feemed to expand
with his fortune : the feafon of his profperity was that of his mo-
deration ; and his clemency appeared the raoft confpicuous after the
danger and fuccefs of the civil war. The Moorifh guards of the
tyrant had been mafTacred in the firft heat of the victory ; and a
fmall number of the moft obnoxious criminals fuffered the punifh-
ment of the law. But the emperor fhewed himfelf much more atr
tentive to relieve the innocent, than to chaftife the guilty. The
opprefTed fubjects of the Weft, who would have deemed themfelves
happy in the reftoration of their lands, were aftcnifhed to receive a
fum of money equivalent to their loffes ; and the liberality of the
conqueror fupported the aged mother, and educated the orphan
daughters, of Maximus 8°. A character thus accomplifhed, might
almoft excufe the extravagant fuppofition of the orator Pacatus ; that,
if the elder Brutus could be permitted to revifit the earth, the ftern
republican would abjure, at the feet of Theodofius, his hatred of
kings ; and ingenuoufly confefs, that fuch a monarch was the moft
faithful guardian of the happinefs, and dignity, of the Roman peo--
ple 8I.

Faults of Yet the piercing eye of the founder of the republic muft have
iJS' difcerned two effential imperfections, which might, perhaps, have
abated his recent love of defpotifm. The virtuous mind of Theodo--

go Ambrof. torn. ii. epift. xl. p. 9^5. rage, omits this glorious circumftancc.
^ Pacatus, from the want of fkill, or of cou- 81 Pacat.- in- Panegyr. Vet. xii. 20.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

fiiis. was often relaxed by indolence82', and it was fometimes inflamed cv** ^Tp*

by paflion 8\ In the purfuit of an important object, his active cou- \ „ ;

rage was capable of the moll vigorous exertions ; but, as foon as the
defign was accomplifhed, or the danger was furmounted, the hero funk
into inglorious repofe ; and, forgetful that the time of a prince is the
property of his people, refigned himfelf to the enjoyment of the inno-
cent, but trifling, pleafures of a luxurious court. The natural dif-
pofition of Theodofius was hafty and choleric ; and, in a ftation
where none could refift, and few would difluade, the fatal confe-
quence of his refentment, the humane monarch was juftly alarmed
by the confeioufnefs of his infirmity, and of his power. It was the
conftant ftudy of his life to fupprefs, or regulate, the intemperate
fallies of pafTion ; and the fuccefs of his efforts enhanced the merit of
his clemency. But the painful virtue which claims the merit of
victory, is expofed to the danger of defeat ; and the reign of a wife
and merciful prince was polluted by an act of cruelty, which would
ftain the annals of Nero or Domitian. Within the fpace of three
years, the inconfiftent hiftorian of Theodofius muft relate the gene-
rous pardon of the citizens of Antioch, and the inhuman maffacre of
the people of ThefTalonica.

The lively impatience of the inhabitants of Antioch was never The Edition

J of Antioch,

fatisfied with their own fituation, or with the character, and con- A. D. 387,
duct, of their fucceflive fovereigns. The Arian fubjects of Theodo-
fius deplored the lofs of their churches; and, as three rival bifhops
difputed the throne of Antioch, the fentence which decided their
pretentions excited the murmurs of the two unfuccefsful congrega-

81 Zofimus, \iVf. p. 271, 272. His par- Ambrofe, in decent and manly language, to

tial evidence is marked by an air of candour his fovereign) naturre impetum, quern fi quis

and truth. He obferves thefe viciflitudes of lenire velit, cito vertes ad mifericordiam : fi

floth, and activity, not as a vice, but as a quis flimulet, in magis exfufcitas, ut eum

Angularity, in the character of Theodofius. revocare vix poffis (torn. ii. epilt. li. p. 998.).

83 This choleric temper is acknowledged, Theodofius (Claud, in iv Conf. Hon. 266,

and excufed, by Vi&or. Sed habes (fays Sec.) exhorts his fon to moderate his anger.

tions-

; THE DECLINE AND FALL

HAP.

xxvir. tions. The exigencies of the Gothic war, and the inevitable ex*
pence that accompanied the conclufion of the peace, had conftrained
the emperor to aggravate the weight of the public impositions ; and
the provinces of Afia, as they had not been involved in the diflrefs,
were the lefs inclined to contribute to the relief, of Europe. The
aufpicious period now approached of the tenth year of his reign ; a
feftival more grateful to the foldiers, who received a liberal donative,
than to the Subjects, whofe voluntary offerings had been long fince
converted into an extraordinary and oppreffive burthen. The edicts
-of taxation interrupted the repofe, and pleafures, of Antioch ; and
the tribunal of the magiftrate was befieged by a Suppliant crowd ;
who, in pathetic, but, at firft, in reSpectful, language, folicited the
redrefs of their grievances. They were gradually incenfed by the
pride of their haughty rulers, who treated their complaints as a cri-
minal refiftance ; their fatirical wit degenerated into Sharp and angry
inveftives ; and, from the Subordinate powers of government, the
invectives of the people infenfibly rofe to attack the facred character
February 26. of the emperor himfelf. Their fury, provoked by a feeble oppo-
fition, difcharged itfelf on the images of the Imperial family, which
were erected, as objects of public veneration, in the moft conSpi-
cuous places of the city. The Statues of Theodofius, of his father,
of his wife Flaccilla, of his two fons, Arcadius and Honorius, were
infolently thrown down from their pedeStals, broken in pieces, or
dragged with contempt through the Streets : and the indignities which
were offered to the representations of Imperial majefly, Sufficiently
declared the impious and treasonable wifhes of the populace. The
tumult was almoft immediately SuppreSTed by the arrival of a body of
archers ; and Antioch had leifure to reflect on the nature and conSe-
quences of her crime 84. According to the duty of his oSEce, the

governor

9A The Chriftians and Pagans agreed in excited by the daemons. A gigantic woman
.believing, that the fedition of Antioch was fays Sozomen, 1. vii. c. 23.) paraded »he

ftreeta

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

governor of the province difpatched a faithful narrative of the whole CXxvnP'

tranfaction ; while the trembling citizens entrufted the confefiion of v. — '

their crime, and the afllirances of their repentance, to the zeal of
Flavian their bifhop, and to the eloquence of the fenator Hilarius,
the friend, and, moft probably, the difciple, of Libanius ; whofe
genius, on this melancholy occafion, was not ufelefs to his country85.
But the two capitals, Antioch and Conftantinople, were feparated
by the diftance of eight hundred miles ; and, notwithstanding the
diligence of the Imperial pofts, the guilty city was feverely punifhed
by a long and dreadful interval of fufpence. Every rumour agitated
the hopes and fears of the Antiochians ; and they heard with terror,
that their fovereign, exafperated by the infult which had been offered
to his own ftatues, and, more efpecially, to thofe of his beloved wife,
had refolved to level with the ground the offending city ; and to maf-
facre, without distinction of age or fex, the criminal inhabitants 86 -t
many of whom were actually driven, by their apprehenfions, to feek
a refuge in the mountains of Syria, and the adjacent defert. At
length, twenty-four days after the fedition, the general Hellebicus, March 22.
and Casfarius matter of the offices, declared the will of the emperor,
and the fentence of Antioch. That proud capital was degraded from
the rank of a city ; and the metropolis of the Eaft, ftripped of its
lands, its privileges, and its revenues, was fubjecTied, under the hu-
miliating denomination of a village, to the jurifdiction of Laodicea87.

ftreets with a fcourge in her hand. An old of a maflacre was groundlefs and abfurd,

man (fays Libanius, Orat. xii. p. 396.) efpecially in the emperor's abfence ; for his

transformed himfelf into a youth, then a prefence, according to the eloquent flave,

boy, &c. might have given a fanction to the moft

85 Zofimus, in his Ihort and difingenuous bloody acts.

account (1. iv. p. 258, 259. ), is certainly 87 Laodicea, on the fea-coaft, fixty-five

miftaken in fending Libanius himfelf to Con- miles from Antioch (fee Noris Epoch. Syro-

ftantinople. His own orations fix him at Maced. Differt. iii. p. 230.). The Anti-

Antioch. ochians were offended, that the dependent

86 Libanius (Orat. i. p. 6. edit. Venet.) city of Seleucia mould prefume to intercede
declares, that, under fuch a reign, the fear for them.

i The

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c J? f The baths, the Circus, and the theatres, werefhut: and, that every

— w fource of plenty and pleafure might at the fame time be intercepted,

the diftribution of corn was abolh^td, by die fevere inftrudtions of
Theodofms. His commimoner ■ then proceeded to inquire into the
guilt of individuals ; of thofe who had perpetrated, and of thofe who
had not prevented, the deftrudtion of the facred ftatues. The tri-
bunal of Hellebicus and Csefarius, encompaffed with armed foldiers,
was erected in the midft of the Forum. The nobleft, and moft
wealthy, of the citizens of Antioch, appeared before them in chains ;
the examination was affifted by the ufe of torture, and their fentence
was pronounced or fufpended, according to the judgment of thefe ex-
traordinary magiftrat.es. The houfes of the criminals were expofed to
fale, their wives and children were fuddenly reduced, from affluence and
luxury, to the moft abjecl: diftrefs ; and a bloody execution was ex-
pected to conclude the horrors of a day S8, which the preacher of An-
tioch, the eloquent Chryfoftom, has reprefented as a lively image of the
laft and univerfal judgment of the world. But the minifters of Theodo-
fms performed, with reluctance, the cruel talk which had been af-
figned them : they dropped a gentle tear over the calamities of the
people ; and they liftened with reverence to the preffing folicitations
of the monks and hermits, who defcended in fwarms from the moun-
tains \ Hellebicus and Csefarius were perfuaded to fufpend the
execution of their fentence ; and it was agreed, that the former
mould remain at Antioch, while the latter returned, with all poftible
fpeed, to Conftantinople ; and prefumed once more to confult the
•Clemency of will of his fovereign. The refentment of Theodofms had already
Theodofius. j^fttlecl ; the deputies of the people, both the bifhop and the orator,

88 As the days of the tumult depend on 744.) and Montfaucon (Chryfoftom, torn.

the moveable feftival of Eafter, they can only xiii. p. 105—110.).

be determined by the previous determination 85 Chryfoftom oppofes their courage, which

of the year. The year 387 has been pre- was not attended with much rifle, to the

ferred, after a iaborious inquiry, by Tille- cowardly flight of the Cynics,
jnont (Hift. des Emp. torn. v. p. 741 —

Tiad

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

had obtained a favourable audience ; and the reproaches of the em- CHAP.

XXVII.

peror were the complaints of injured friendship, rather than the ftern — -»
menaces of pride and power. A free and general pardon was granted
to the city and citizens of Antioch ; the prifon-doors were thrown
open ; the fenators, who defpaired of their lives, recovered the pof-
feffion of their houfes and eftates ; and the capital of the Eaft was
reftored to the enjoyment of her ancient dignity and fplendour.
Theodofius condefcended to praife the fenate of Conftantinople, who
had generoufly interceded for their diftrefled brethren : he rewarded
the eloquence of Hilarius with the government of Paleftine ; and
difmifled the bifhop of Antioch with the warmer! expreflions of his
refpecT: and gratitude. A thoufand new ftatues arofe to the clemency April 25.
of Theodofius ; the applaufe of his fubjedts was ratified by the ap-
probation of his own heart ; and the emperor confefled, that, if the
exercife of juftice is the moft important duty, the indulgence of
mercy is the moft exquifite pleafure, of a fovereign 9°.

The fedition of Theflalonica is afcribed to a more mameful caufe, Sedition and
and was productive of much more dreadful confequences. That Theflaio-°f
great city, the metropolis of all the Illyrian provinces, had been pro- q
tected from the dangers of the Gothic war by ftrong fortifications,
and a numerous garrifon. Botheric, the general of thofe troops,
and, as it fhould feem from his name, a Barbarian, had among his
flaves a beautiful boy, who excited the impure defires of one of the
charioteers of the Circus. The infolent and brutal lover was thrown
into prifon by the order of Botheric ; and he fternly rejected the
importunate clamours of the multitude, who, on the day of the

90 The fedition of Antioch is reprefented (torn. ii. p. 1—225. edit. Montfaucon.j. I

in a lively, and almoft dramatic, manner, by do not pretend to much perfonal acquaint-

two orators, who had their refpective fliares ance with Chryfeftom ; but Tillcmont (Hift.

of intereft and merit. See Libanius (Orat. des Empereurs, torn. v. p. 263 — 283.) and

xiv, xv. p. 389 — 420. edit. Morel. Orat. i. Hermant (Vie de St. Chryfoftome, torn. i.

p. 1 — 14. Venet. 1754.), and the twenty p. 137— 224.) had read him with pious cu-

orations of St. John Chryfoftom, de Statuis riofity, and diligence.

Vol. III. H public

je THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, public games, lamented the abfence of their favourite : and con-

XXVII. o »

i_ . - ,' fidered the fkill of a charioteer as an object of more importance than

his virtue. The refentment of the people was embittered by fome
previous difputes ; and, as the ftrength of the garrifon had been
drawn away for the fervice of the Italian war, the feeble remnant,
whofe numbers were reduced by defertion, could not fave the un-
happy general from their licentious fury. Botheric, and feveral of
his principal officers, were inhumanly murdered ; their mangled
bodies were dragged about the ftreets ; and the emperor, who then
refided at Milan, was furprifed by the intelligence of the audacious
and wanton cruelty of the people of Theflalonica. The fentence of
a difpaflionate judge would have inflicted a fevere punifliment on the
authors of the crime ; and the merit of Botheric might contribute to
exafperate the grief and indignation of his matter. The fiery and
choleric temper of Theodofius was impatient of the dilatory forms
of a judicial enquiry; and he haftily refolved, that the blood of his
lieutenant mould be expiated by the blood of the guilty people. Yet
his mind ftill fluctuated between the counfels of clemency and of
revenge ; the zeal of the bifhops had almoft extorted from the re-
luctant emperor the promife of a general pardon ; his paflion was
again inflamed by the flattering fuggeftions of his minifter Rufinus ;
and, after Theodofius had difpatched the meflengers of death, he
attempted, when it was too late, to prevent the execution of his or-
ders. The punifhment of a Roman city was blindly committed to
the undiftingui fhing fword of the Barbarians -T and the hoflile pre-
parations were concerted with the dark and perfidious artifice of an
illegal confpiracy. The people of Theflalonica were treacheroufly
invited, in the name of their fovereign, to the games of the Circus :.
and fuch was their infatiate avidity for thofe amufements, that every
confideration of fear, or fufpicion, was difregarded by the numerous
fpectators. As foon as the aflfembly was complete, the foldiers, who

* had

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 51

had fecretly been polled round the Circus, received the fignal, not Cx^y^II>*

of the races, but of a general maflacre. The promifcuous carnage 1 »*-

continued three hours, without difcrimination of ftrangers or natives,
of age or fex, of innocence or guilt ; the moft moderate accounts
ftate the number of the flain at feven thoufand ; and it is affirmed by
fome writers, that more than fifteen thoufand victims were facrificed
to the manes of Botheric. A foreign merchant, who had probably
no concern in his murder, offered his own life, and all his wealth,
to fupply the place of one of his two fons ; but, while the father
hefitated with equal tendernels, while he was doubtful to chufe, and
unwilling to condemn, the foldiers determined his fufpenfe, by
plunging their daggers at the fame moment into the breafts of the
defencelefs youths. The apology of the aflallins, that they were
obliged to produce the prefcribed number of heads, ferves only to
increafe, by an appearance of order and defign, the horrors of the
malfacre, which was executed by the commands of Theodofius.
The guilt of the emperor is aggravated by his long and frequent re-
fidence at Theflalonica. The fituation of the unfortunate city, the
afpect of the ftreets and buildings, the drefs and faces of the inha-
bitants, were familiar, and even prefent, to his imagination ; and
Theodofius polTefTed a quick and lively fenfe of the exiftence of the
people whom he deftroyed 9\

The refpedful attachment of the emperor for the orthodox clergy, InflueneeanA
had difpofed him to love and admire the character of Ambrofe ; who Ambrofe°f
united all the epifcopal virtues in the moft eminent degree. The A' D' 38g-
friends and minifters of Theodofius imitated the example of their

91 The originaj evidence of Ambrofe Sozomen (1. vii. c. 25.), Theodoret (1. v.

(torn. ii. epift. li. p. 998.), Auguftin (de c. 17.), Theophanes (Chronograph. p..62.),

Civitat. Dei, v. 26.), and Paulinus (in Vit. Cedrenus (p. 317.), and Zonaras (torn. ii.

Ambrof. c. 24-), is delivered in vague ex- 1. xiii. p. 3.)..). Zofimus jilone, the partial

preflions of horror and pity. It is illuftrated enemy of Theodoliu5, moft unaccountably

by the fubfequent and unequal teftimonies of paJTes over in filence the worft of his actions.

H 2 fovcreign ;

-2 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, fovereien ; and he obferved, with more furprife than difpleafure, that
' all his fecret counfels were immediately communicated to the arch-
bifhop ; who acted from the laudable perfuafion, that every meafure
of civil government may have fome connection with the glory of
God, and the intereft of the true religion. The monks and populace
of Callinicum, an obfcure town on the frontier of Perfia, excited by
their own fanaticifm, and by that of their bifhop, had tumultuoufly
burnt a conventicle of the Valentinians, and a fynagogue of the Jews*
The feditious prelate was condemned, by the magiftrate of the pro-
vince, either to rebuild the fynagogue, or to repay the damage ; and
this moderate fentence was confirmed by the emperor. Cut it was
not confirmed by the archbifhop of Milan 9\ He dictated an epiftle
of cenfure and reproach, more fuitable, perhaps, if the emperor
had received the mark of circumcifion, and renounced the faith
of his baptifm. Ambrofe confiders the toleration of the Jewifh,
as the perfecution of the Chriftian, religion ; boldly declares, that
he himfelf, and every true believer, would eagerly difpute with the
bifhop of Callinicum the merit of the deed, and the crown of mar-
tyrdom ; and laments, in the moft pathetic terms, that the execution
of the fentence would be fatal to the fame and falvation of Theodo-
fius. As this private admonition did not produce an immediate ef-
fect, the archbiihop, from his pulpit 93, publicly addreffed the em-
peror on his throne 9+ ; nor would he confent to offer the oblation of
the altar, till he had obtained from Theodofius a folemn and pofitive
declaration, which fecured the impunity of the bifhop and monks

91 See the whole tranfaftion in Ambrofe Chrift. Cut the peroration is direcl and

(torn. ii. epift. xli. p. 946 — 956.), and perfonal.

his topographer Paulinos (c. 23,). Bayle and 9+ Hodie, Epifcope, tie me propofuilti..

Barbeyrac (Morales des Peres, c. xvii. p. 325, Ambrofe modeftly confefled it : but he fternly

&c.) have juftly condemned the archbifhop. reprimanded Timefius, general of the horfe

93 His fermon is a ftrange allegory of Je- and foot, who had prefumed to fay, that

remiah's rod, of an almond- tree, of the the monks of Callinicum deferved punifh-

y/oman who warned and anointed the feet of menu

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

of Callinicum. The recantation of Theodofius was fmcere 9S : and, CJJ^P-

XXVII.

during the term of his refidence at Milan, his affection for Ambrofe v— — *

was continually increafed by the habits of pious and familiar con-
verfation.

When Ambrofe was informed of the maffacre of Theffalonica, Pen nance of

. i . Theodofius,

his mind was filled with horror and anguifli. He retired into the a. D. 390.
country to indulge his grief, and to avoid the prefence of Theodo-
fius. But as the archbifhop was fatisfied that a timid filence would
render him the accomplice of his guilt, he reprefented, in a private
letter, the enormity of the crime ; which could only be effaced by
the tears of penitence. The epifcopal vigour of Ambrofe was tem-
pered by prudence ; and he contented himfelf with fignifying 9S an
indirect: fort of excommunication, by the affurance, that he had been
warned in a vifion, not to offer the oblation in the name, or in the
prefence, of Theodofius ; and by the advice; that he would confine
himfelf to the ufe of prayer, without prefuming to approach the altar
of Chrift, or to receive the holy eucharift with thofe hands that were
ftill polluted with the blood of an innocent people. The emperor
was deeply affected by his own reproaches, and by thofe of his fpi-
ritual father ; and, after he had bewailed the mifchievous and irre-
parable confequences of his rafh fury, he proceeded, in the accuftomed
manner, to perform his devotions in the great church of Milan. He
was flopped in the porch by the archbifhop ; who, in the tone and
language of an ambaffador of Heaven, declared to his fovereign, that
private contrition was not fufficient to atone for a public fault, or to
appeafe the juftice of the offended Deity. Theodofius humbly re-

95 Yet, five years afterwards, when Theo- tool His Epiftle is a mifcrable rhapfody
dofius was abfent from his fpiritual guide, he on a noble fubjett. Ambrofe could ac~t bet-
tolerated the Jews, and condemned the de- ter than he could write. His compofitions
ftrudlion of their fynagcgues. Cod. Theodof. are deftitute of tafte, or genius ; without the
I. xvi. tit. viii. leg. 9. with Godefroy's Com- fpirit of Tertullian, the copious elegance of
mentary, torn. vi. p. 225. Laftantius, the lively wit of Jerom, or the

85 Ambrof. torn. ii. epifc. li. p. 997— grave energy of Auguftin.

prefented,

54 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, prefented, that if he had contracted the guilt of hcmicide, David,
u ^ ' ■ the man after God's own heart, had been guilty, not only of mur-
der, but of adultery. " You have imitated David in his crime,
" imitate then his repentance," was the reply of the undaunted Am-
brofe. The rigorous conditions of peace and pardon were accepted ;
and the public pennance of the emperor Theodofius has been re-
corded as one of the moft honourable events in the annals of the.
church. According to the mildeft rules of ecclefiaftical difcipline,
which were eftablifhed in the fourth century, the crime of homicide
was expiated by the penitence of twenty years 97 : and as it was im-
poflible, in the period of human life, to purge the accumulated guilt
of the maffacre of ThefTalonica, the murderer mould have been ex-
cluded from the holy communion till the hour of his death. But the
archbifhop, confulting the maxims of religious policy, granted fome
indulgence to the rank of his illuftrious penitent, who humbled in
the duft the pride of the diadem ; and the public edification might
be admitted as a weighty realbn to abridge the duration of his pu-
nifhment. It was fumcient, that the emperor of the Romans, ftrip-
ped of the enfigns of royalty, Ihould appear in a mournful and fup-
pliant pofture ; and that, in the midft of the church of Milan, he
mould humbly folicit, with fighs and tears, the pardon of his fins **.
In this fpiritual cure, Ambrofe employed the various methods of
mildnefs and feverity. After a delay of about eight months, Theo-
dofius was reftored to the communion of the faithful ; and the edict,
which interpofes a falutary interval of thirty days between the fen-

*7 According to the difcipline of St. Bafil 98 The pennance of Theodofius is authen-

(Canon lvi.), the voluntary homicide was ticated by Ambrofe (torn. vi. de Obit. Theo-

four years a mourner; five an hearer; /even • dof. c. 34. p. 1207.), Auguftin (de Civitat.

in a proftrate ftate ; and four in a {landing Dei, v. 26.), and Paulinus (in Vit. Ambrof.

pofture. I have the origin-1 (Beveridge, c. 24.). Socrates is ignorant ; Sozomen

Pandect, torn. ii. p. 47 -151.), and a (1. vii. c. 25.) concife ; and the copious nar-

tranflation (Chardon, Hill, des Sacremens, rative of Theodoret (1. v. c. 18.) muft be

torn. iv. p. 219 — 2-7.) of the Canonical ufed with precaution.
Epifties of St. Baiil.

tence

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

tence and the execution, may be accepted as the worthy fruits of his CX"V^I1>"

repentance Pofterity has applauded the virtuous firmnefs of the ' , '

archbifhop : and the example of Theodofius may prove the bene-
ficial influence of thofe principles, which could force a monarch,
exalted above the apprehenfion of human punifhment, to refpect the
laws, and minifters, of an invifible Judge. " The prince," fays
Montefquieu, " who is actuated by the hopes and fears of religion,
" may be compared to a lion, docile only to the voice, and tractable
" to the hand, of his keeper 10°." The motions of the royal animal
will therefore depend on the inclination, and intereft, of the man
wrho has acquired fuch dangerous authority over him ; and the
prieft, who holds in his hand the confcience of a king, may inflame,
or moderate, his fanguinary paflions. The caufe of humanity, and
that of perfecution, have been afferted, by the fame Ambrofe, with
equal energy, and with equal fuccefs.

After the defeat and death of the tyrant of Gaul, the Roman Generofityof
world was in the pofleffion of Theodofius. He derived from the a. D. 388—
choice of Gratian his honourable title to the provinces of the 39 1'
Eaft : he had acquired the Weft by the right of conqueft ; and the
three years, which he fpent in Italy, were ufefully employed to re-
ftore the authority of the laws ; and to correct the abufes, which had
prevailed with impunity under the ufurpation of Maximus, and the
minority of Valentinian. The name of Valentinian was regularly
inferted in the public acts : but the tender age, and doubtful faith, .
of the fon of Juftina, appeared to require the prudent care of an
orthodox guardian ; and his fpecious ambition might have excluded the

99 Codex Theodof. 1. ix. tit. xl. leg. 13. 100 TJn prince qui aime la religion, et qui

The date and circumftances of this law are i_ „n „„ „„; ^ t„ •

la craint, eit un lion qui cede a le main qui

perplexed with difhculties ; but I feel myfelf

inclined to favour the honeft efforts of Tille- k flatte' ou a Ia voix <llu ^PP^- Efpric
rnont (Hilt, des Emp. torn. v. p. 721.) and des Loix, 1. xxiv. c. 2.
Pagi (Critica, torn. i. p. 578.).

unfortunate

56 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CxxvnP* unf°rtlinate youth, without a ftruggle, and ahnoft without a murmur,
% 1 from the adminiftration, and even from the inheritance, of the em-
pire. If Theodofiud had confulted the rigid maxims of intereft and
policy, his conduct would have been juftilied by his friends ; but the
generofity of his behaviour on this memorable occafion has extorted
the applaufe of his raoft inveterate enemies. He feated Valentinian
on the throne of Milan j and, without ftipulating any prefent or
future advantages, reftored him to the abfolute dominion of all the
provinces, from which he had been driven by the arms of Maximus.
To the restitution of his ample patrimony, Theodofius added the free
and generous gift of the countries beyond the Alps, which his
fuccefsful valour had recovered from the alTaffin of Gratian ,0'.
Satisfied with the glory which he had acquired, by revenging
the death of his benefactor, and delivering the Well from the yoke
of tyranny, the emperor returned from Milan to Conftantinople ;
and, in the peaceful poflemon of the Eaft, infenfibly relapfed into
his former habits of luxury and indolence. Theodofius difcharged
his obligation to the brother, he indulged his conjugal tendernefs to
the fifter, of Valentinian : and pofterity, which admires the pure
and fingular glory of his elevation, muft applaud his unrivalled
generofity in the ufe of victory.
Chara&erof The emprefs Juftina did not long furvive her return to Italy ; and,
though fhe beheld the triumph of Theodofius, Ihe was not allowed
to influence the government of her fon ,0\ The pernicious attach-
ment to the Arian feet, which Valentinian had imbibed from her
example and inftructions, was foon erafed by the lefTons of a more
orthodox education. His growing zeal for the faith of Nice, and
his filial reverence for the character, and authority, of Ambrofe,

101 T,ro mm re; imp** wfiwoi **» *** haPPinefs of exFeffi°n>. Valentinianum ....

. . '. c r, r L. ,„ mifericordiifima veneratione reftituit.

is the niggard praiie ot Zoiimus lumlelt 10, a , .. TT. .

&i> r 0 Sozonen, 1. vn. c. 14. His chrono-

(1. iv. p. 267.). Auguftin fays, with fome logy is very irregular.

2 difpofed

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

•difpofed the Catholics to entertain the moft favourable opinion of CHAP.

the virtues of the young emperor of the Weft l0\ They applauded \ /

his chaftity and temperance, his contempt of pleafure, his applica-
tion to bufinefs, and his tender affection for his two fifters ; which
could not, however, feduce his impartial equity to pronounce an
unjuft fentence againft the meaneft of his fubjecls. But this amiable
youth, before he had accomplifhed the twentieth year of his age,
was opprefTed by domeftic treafon ; and the empire was again in-
volved in the horrors of a civil war. Arbogaftes ,c+, a gallant foldicr
of the nation of the Franks, held the fecond rank in the fervice of
Gratian. On the death of his mafter, he joined the ftandard of
Theodofius ; contributed, by his valour and military conduct, to the
deftruetion of the tyrant ; and was appointed, after the victory,
mafter-general of the armies of Gaul. His real merit, and apparent,
fidelity, had gained the confidence both of the prince and people ;
his boundlefs liberality corrupted the allegiance of the troops ; and,
whilft he was univerfally efteemed as the pillar of the ftate, the bold
and crafty Barbarian was fecretly determined, either to rule, or to
ruin, the empire of the Weft. The important commands of the
army were diftributed among the Franks ; the creatures of Arbo-
gaftes were promoted to all the honours and offices of the civil go-
vernment ; the progrefs of the confpiracy removed every faithful
fervant from the prefence of Valentinian ; and the emperor, without
power, and without intelligence, infenfibly funk into the precarious
and dependent condition of a captive ,os. The indignation which he

103 See Ambrofe (torn. ii. de Obir. Va- 104 Zofimus (1. iv. p. 275.) praifes the

fcntinian. c. 15, &c. p. 1178; c. 36, &c. enemy of Theodofius. But he is detefted by

p. 1 184.). When the young emperor gave Socrates (1. v. c. 25.) and Orofius (1. vii.

an entertainment, he failed himfelf : here- c. 35.).

fufed to fee an handfome adlrefs, &c. Since 105 Gregory of Tours (1. ii. c. 9. p. 165.

he ordered his wild beafts to be killed, it is in the fecond volume of the Hiltorians of

tmgenerous in Philoftorgius (1. xi. c. 1.) to France) has preserved a curious fragment of

reproach him with the love of that amufe- Sulpicius Alexander, an hiltorian far more

naent. valuable than himfelf.

Vol. III. I expreffed,

THE DECLINE AND FALL

exprefTed, though it might arife only from the rafli and impatient
temper of youth, may be candidly afcribed to the generous fpirit of
a prince, who felt that he was not unworthy to reign. He fecretly
invited the archbifhop of Milan to undertake the office of a media-
tor; as the pledge of his fmcerity, and the guardian of his fafety.
He contrived to apprife the emperor of the Eaft of his helplefs fitu-
ation ; and he declared, that, unlefs Theodofius could fpeedily march
to his affiftance, he muft attempt to efcape from the palace, or rather
prifon, of Vienna in Gaul, where he had imprudently fixed his re-
fidence in the midft of the hoftile faction. *But the hopes of relief
were diftant, and doubtful ; and, as every day furnifhed fome new
provocation, the emperor, without ftrength or counfel, too haftily
refolved to rifk an immediate conteft with his powerful generaL
He received Arbogaftes on the throne ; and, as the count approached
with fome appearance of refpect, delivered to him a paper, which
difmifled him from all his employments. " My authority," replied
Arbogaftes with infulting coolnefs, " does not depend on the fmile.
" or the frown, of a monarch;" and he contemptuo.ufly threw the
paper on the ground. The indignant monarch fnatched at the fword
of one of the guards, which he ftruggled to draw from its fcabbard ;
and it was not without fome degree of violence that he was pre-
vented from ufing the deadly weapon againft his enemy, or againft
himfelf.. A few clays after this extraordinary quarrel, in which he
had expofed his refentment and his weaknefs, the unfortunate Va-
lentinian was found ftrangled in his apartment ; and fome pains
were employed to difguife the manifeft guilt of Arbogaftes, and to
perfuade the world, that the death of the young emperor had been
the voluntary effect of his own defpair ,06. His body was conducted

,c5 Godefroy (Diflertat. ad Philoftorg. The variations, and the ignorance, of con-
p. 429— 434.) has diligently collected all the temporary writers, prove that it was fe-
circumftances of the death of Valentinian II. cret.

with

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 59
-with decent pomp to the fepulchre of Milan; and the archbifhop Cx^VjjP'

pronounced a funeral oration to commemorate his virtue, and his v.
misfortunes 101 . On this occafion, the humanity of Ambrofe tempted
him to make a fmgular breach in his theological lyftem ; and to com-
fort the weeping fifters of Valentinian, by the firm afllirance, that
their pious brother, though he had not received the facrament of bap-
tifm, was introduced, without difficulty, into the manfions of eternal
blifs ,os.

The prudence of Arbogaftes had prepared the fuccefs of his ambi- Usurpation

* . ofEugenius,

tious defigns : and the provincials, in whofe breafts every fentiment A. D. 392—
of patriotifm or loyalty was extinguished, expected, with tame re- 39^'
fignation, the unknown mafter, whom the choice of a Frank might
place on the Imperial throne. But fome remains of pride and pre-
judice ftill oppofed the elevation of Arbogaftes himfelf ; and the ju-
dicious Barbarian thought it more advifable to reign under the name
of fome dependent Roman. He beftowed the purple on the rheto-
rician Eugenius 109 ; whom he had already raifed from the place of his
domeftic fecretary, to the rank of mafter of the offices. In the
courfe both of his private and public fervice, the count had always
approved the attachment and abilities of Eugenius ; his learning and
eloquence, fupported by the gravity of his manners, recommended
him to the elteem of the people ; and the reluctance, with which he
feemed to afcend the throne, may infpire a favourable prejudice of

107 De Obitu Valentinian. torn. ii. p. 1 1,-3 109 Quem fibi Germanus famulum dele-
— -1196. He is forced to fpeak a difcreet and' gerat exu),

obfcure language : yet he is much bolder is the contemptuous expreflion of Clau-

than any layman, or perhaps any other eccle- r> r tt . „

_ " dian (!V C-oni. Hon. 74.)- Eugernus pro-
caine, would have d^red to be. , ni ... . , ,. • . -

"» See c. 51. p. 1188. c. 7;. p. 1193. feff°d Chtl*>a«*y! bl" h" fecret auach-

Dom. Chardon (Hilt, des Sacremens, torn. i. ment to P^ganifm (Socmen, f. vii. c. 22.

p. 86.), who owns that St. Ambrofe moft Philoltorg. 1. xi. c. 2.) p probable in a gram-

ftrenuoufly maintains the tndifpcifable necef- marian, and would fecure the friendlhip of

fity of baptifm, labours to reconcile the con- Zohmus (1. iv. p. 276, 277.).
tradition,

I 2 his

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXVII.

Theodofius
prepares for
war.

his virtue and moderation. The ambafladors of the new emperor
were immediately difpatched to the court of Theodofius, to commu-
nicate, with affected grief, the unfortunate accident of the death of
Valentinian ; and, without mentioning the name of Arbogaftes, to
requeft, that the monarch of the Eaft would embrace, as his lawful
colleague, the refpeclable citizen, who had obtained the unanimous
fuffrage of the armies and provinces of the Weft "°. Theodofius
was juftly provoked, that the perfidy of a Barbarian mould have
deftroyed, in a moment, the labours, and the fruit, of his former
victory ; and he was excited by the tears of his beloved wife '", to
revenge the fate of her unhappy brother, and once more to afTert by
arms the violated majefty of the throne. But as the fecond conqueft
of the Weft was a tafk of difficulty and danger, he difmhTed, with
fplendid prefents, and an ambiguous anfwer, the ambaffadors of
Eugenius ; and almoft two years were confumed in the preparations
of the civil war.. Before he formed any decifive refolution, the pious-
emperor was anxious to difcover the will of heaven ; and as the
progrefs of Chriftianity had filenced the oracles of Delphi and Do-
dona, he confulted an Eyptian monk, who poffefTed, in the opinion,
of the age, the gift of miracles, and the knowledge of futurity.
Eutropius, one of the favourite eunuchs of the palace of Con-
ftantinople, embarked for Alexandria, from whence he failed up the
Nile as far as the city of Lycopolis, or of Wolves, in the remote
province of Thebais In the neighbourhood of that city, and ort

1,0 Zofimus (1. iv. p. 278.) mentions this
embafly ; but he is diverted by another ftory
from relating the event.

111 Hv tTa^a^iv n tuts y«f*ET» Tcc7\}.ci Tat Bx<Ti'
\iia Tov aJs?4>GS o?\o$v%o[il*r. Zofim. 1. iv. p.

277. He afterwards fays (p. 280.), that
Galla died in childbed ; and intimates, 'that
the affliction of her hufband was extreme, birt
&ort.

111 Lycopolis is the modern Siur, or Ofiot,
a town of Said, about the fize of St. Denys,
which drives a profitable trade with the king-
dom of Sennaar ; and has a very convenient
fountain, " cujus potu figna virginitatis eri-
«' piuntur." See d'Anville, Defcription de
l'Egypte, p. 181. Abulfeda, Defcript. JE-
gyp. p. 14;. and the curious Annotations,,
p. 25. 92. of his editor Michaelis,

the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. Ci

the fummit of a lofty mountain, the holy John 1,1 had confer u£led, cJ£JiS'

with his own hands, an humble cell, in which he had dwelt above v. 1, — ~j

fifty years, without opening his door, without feeing the face of a
woman, and without tailing any food that had been prepared by fire,
or any human art. Five days of the week he fpent in prayer and
meditation ; but on Saturdays and Sundays he regularly opened a
fmall window, and gave audience to the crowd of fuppliants, who
fucceflively flowed from every part of the Chriftian world. The
eunuch of Theodofius approached the window with refpectful fleps,
propofedliis queftions concerning the event of the civil" war, and foon
returned with a favourable oracle, which animated the courage of
the emperor by the afiurance of a bloody, but infallible, victory "+.
The accomplifhment of the predi&ion was forwarded" by all the
means that human prudence could fupply. The induftry of the two
mafter-generals, Stilicho and Timafius, was directed to recruit the
numbers, and to revive the discipline, of the Roman legions. The
formidable troops of Barbarians marched under the enfigns of their
national chieftains. The Iberian, the Arab, and the Goth, who
gazed on each other with mutual aftonifhment, were inlifted in the
fervice of the fame prince ; and the renowned Alaric acquired, in the
fchool of Theodofius, the knowledge of the art of war, which -he
afterwards fo fatally exerted for the deftru&ion of Rome "s..

The Emperor of the Weft, or, to fpeak more properly, his ge- His victor
neral Arbogaftes, was inftructed by the mifconducl: and misfortune of niu?, USC"

A. D. 394,

"3 The life cf John of Lycopclis is de- the Egyptian dreams, and the oracles of the. September 6.
fcribed by his two friends, Rufinus (1. ii. Nile.

c. i. p. 449.) and Palladium (Hift. Laufiac. 115 Zofimus, 1. iv. p. 280. Socrates,
c. 43. p. 738.), in Rofweyde's great Collec- 1. vii. 10. Alaric himfelf (de Bell. Getico,
tion of the Vita; Patrum. Tillemont (Mem. 524.) dwells with more complacency on his
Ecclef. torn. x. p. 718. 720.) has fettled the early exploits againft the Romans,
chronology. .... Tot Auguftus Hebro qui tefte fugavi.

1L* Sozomen, 1. vii. c. 22, Claudian (in Yet his vanity could fcarcely have proved,
Eutrop. 1. i. 312.) mentions the eunuch's this plurality cf flying emperors,
journey : but he moil contemptuoujly derides

Maxiinus,,.

$2 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. Maximus, how dangerous it might prove to extend the line of de-
fence againft a fkilful antagonift, who was free to prefs, or to
fufpend, to contract, or to multiply, his various methods of at-
tack "6. Arbogaftes fixed his ftation on the confines of Italy :
the troops of Theodofius were permitted to occupy, without re-
fiftance, the provinces of Pannonia, as far as the foot of the Julian
Alps ; and even the pafTes of the mountains were negligently, or
perhaps artfully, abandoned, to the bold invader. He defcended
from the hills, and beheld, with fome aftonifhment, the formidable
-camp of the Gauls and Germans, that covered with arms and tents
the open country, which extends to the walls of Aquileia, and the
banks of the Frigidus "7, or Cold River This narrow theatre of
the war, circumfcribed by the Alps and the Hadriatic, did not allow
much room for the operations of military ikill ; the fpirit of Arbo-
gaftes would have difdained a pardon j his guilt extinguished the
hope of a negotiation : and Theodofius was impatient to fatisfy his
glory and revenge, by the chaftifement of the afTaffins of Valenti-
nian. Without weighing the natural and artificial obftacles that op-
pofed his efforts, the emperor of the Eaft immediately attacked the
fortifications of his rivals, afligned the poft of honourable danger to
the Goths, and cherifhed a fecret wifh, that the bloody conflict might
diminifh the pride and numbers of the conquerors. Ten thoufand
of thofe auxiliaries, and Bacurius, general of the Iberians, died bravely
on the field -of battle. But the victory was not purchafed by their

1,6 Claudian (in iv Conf. Honor. 77, &c.) 117 TheFrigidus, a fmall, though memo-

contrails the military plans of the two ufurp- rable, ftream in the country of Goretz, now

ers. called the Vipao, falls into the Sontius, or

.... Novitas audere priorem Lifonzo, above Aquileia, fome miles from

Suadebat ; cautumque dabant exempla fe- ' the Hadriuic. See d'Anville's Ancient and

quentem. Modern Maps, and the Italia Antiqua of

Hie nova moliri praeceps : hie quaerere Cluverius (torn. i. p. 1 88.).

tutus ' 118 Claudian's wit is intolerable : the fnow

Providus. Hie fufis ; colleftis viribus ille. was dyed red ; the cold river fmoaked-j and

Hie vagus excurrens ; hie intra clauftra the channel muft have been choaked with

redu&us carcalTes, if the current had not been fwelled

X>iflixniles ; fed morte pares with blood.

blood ;

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

blood : the Gauls maintained their advantage ; and the approach C H A p-

to 11 XXVII.
of night protected the diforderly flight, or retreat, of the troops \ w — ^

of Theodofius. The emperor retired to the adjacent hills ; where
he pafTed a difconfolate night, without fleep, without provifions,
and without hopes 1,9 ; except that Strong aSTurance, which, under
the moft defperate circumflances, the independent mind may-
derive from the contempt of fortune and of life. The triumph
of Eugenius was celebrated by the infolent and diflblute joy of
his camp ; * whilft the active and vigilant Arbogaftes fecretly de-
tached a considerable body of troops to occupy the paffes of the
mountains, and to encompafs the rear of the Eaftern army. The
dawn of day difcovered to the eyes of Theodofius the extent and
the extremity of his danger : tiut his apprehenfions were foon dif-
pelled, by a friendly meffage from the leaders of thofe troops, who
-expreSTed their inclination to defert the Standard of the tyrant. The
honourable and lucrative rewards, which they Stipulated as the price
of their perfidy, were granted without hesitation ; and as ink and
paper could not eafily be procured, the emperor fubferibed, on his
own tablets, the ratification of the treaty. The fpirit of his foldiers
was revived by this feafonable reinforcement : and they again
marched, with confidence, to furprife the camp of a tyrant, whofe
principal officers appeared to diftrufl, either the juflice, or the fuccefsr
of his arms. In the heat of the battle, a violent tempeft 110, fuch as
is often felt among the Alps, fuddenly arofe from the Eaft. The

119 Theodoret affirms, that St. John, and iEolus armatas hyemes ; cui inilitat jEther,.

St. Philip, appeared to the waking, cr Et conjurati veniunt ad claffica venti.

fleeping, emperor, on horfeback, &c. This Thefe famous lines of Claudian (in iii Conf.

is the firft inftance of apoftolic chivalry, which Honor. 93, &c. A.D. 396.) are alleged by

afterwards became fc popular in Spain, and his contemporaries, Auguftin and Orof.us ;

in the Crufades. who fupprefs the Pagan deity of ..Eolus ; and

110 Te propter, gelidis Aquilo de monte add fome circumflances from the information

procellis of eye-witnefles. Within four months after

Obruit adverfas acies ; revolutaque tela the victory, it was compared by Ambrofe to

Vertitin au&ores, et turbine reppulit haftas. the miraculous victories of Mofes and Jofhua*

O nimium dilefte Deo, cui fundit ab antris

^ army

64 THE DECLINE AND FALL

c PI A P. army of Theodofius was flickered by their pofition from the impe-
^ '_. tuofity of the wind, which blew a cloud of duft in the faces of the
enemy, difordered their ranks, wrefted their weapons from their
hands, and diverted, or repelled, their ineffectual javelins. This
accidental advantage was fkilfully improved ; the violence of the ftorm
was magnified by the fuperflitious terrors of the Gauls ; and they
yielded without fhame to the invifible powers of heaven, who feemed
to militate on the fide of the pious emperor. • His victory was de-
cifive ; and the deaths of his two rivals were difUnguifhed only by
the difference of their characters. The rhetorician Eugenius, who
had almoft acquired the dominion of the world, was reduced to
implore the mercy of the conqueror ; and the unrelenting foldiers
feparated his head from his body, as he lay proftrate at the feet of
Theodofius. Arbogaftes, after the lofs of a battle, in which he had
difcharged the duties of a foldier and a general, wandered feveral
days among the mountains. But when he was convinced, that his
caufe was defperate, and his efcape impracticable, the intrepid Bar-
barian imitated the example of the ancient Romans, and turned his
fword againft his own breaft. The fate of the empire was deter-
mined in a narrow corner of Italy ; and the legitimate fucceffor of
the houfe of Valentinian embraced the archbifhop of Milan, and
gracioufly received the fubmiflion of the provinces of the Weft.
Thofe provinces were involved in the guilt of rebellion ; while the
inflexible courage of Ambrofe alone had refilled the claims of fuccefs-
ful usurpation. With a manly freedom, which might have been
fatal to any other fubject, the archbifhop rejected the gifts of Euge-
nius, declined his correfpondence, and withdrew himfelf from Milan,
to avoid the odious prefence of a tyrant ; whofe downfal he predicted
in difcreet and ambiguous language. The merit of Ambrofe was
applauded by the conqueror, who fecured the attachment of the
people by-his alliance with the church: and the clemency of Theo-

I dofius

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

<lof:us is afcribed to the humane interceffion of the archbifhop of cJ^rp'
Milan "\ < . 1

After the defeat of Eugenius, the merit, as well as the authority, Death 0/

0 ' I'heodofiu?,

•of Theodofius was cheerfully acknowledged by all the inhabitants of A. D. ?<^,
■the Roman world. The experience of his paft conduct encouraged ^anua >
the moft pleafing expectations of his future reign ; and the age of the
emperor, which did not exceed fifty years, feemed to extend the
profpect of the public felicity. His death, only four months after his
victory, was confidered by the people as an unforefeen and fatal
event, wnich deftroyed, in a moment, the hopes of the rifing ge-
neration. But the indulgence of eafe and luxury had fecretly nourifh-
ed the principles of difeafe'". The ftrength of Theodofius was unable
to fupport the hidden and violent tranlition from the palace to the
camp ; and the increafmg fymptoms of a dropfy announced the
ipeedy diffolution of the emperor. The opinion, and perhaps the
intereft, of the public had confirmed the divifion of the Eaftern and
Weftern empires ; and the two royal youths, Arcadius and Hono-
rius, who had already obtained, from the tendernefs of their father,
the title of Auguftus, were deftined to fill the thrones of Conftantinople
and of Rome. Thofe princes were not permitted to fhare the danger
and glory of the civil war1'3; but as foon as Theodofius had triumphed
over his unworthy rivals, he called his younger fon, Honorius, to
enjoy the fruits of the victory, and to receive the fceptre of the Weft

"* The events of this civil war are gather- by Philoftorgius (I xi. c. 2.) as the effect of

ed from .Ambrofe(tom.ii.epilt. !xii. p. 1022.), floth and intemperance: for which Photius

Paulinus (in Vit. Ambrof. c. 26- 34-)» Aa- calls him an impudent liar (Godefroy, Diflert.

guftin (de Civitat. Dei, v. 26.), Orofius (1. p. 438.).

vii. c. 35.). Sozomen (1. vii. c. 24.), Theo- 113 Zofimus fuppofe.s that the boy Hono-

doret (1. v. c. 24.), Zofimus (1. iv. p. 281, rius accompanied his father (J. iv p. 280.)-

282.). Claudian. (in iii Conf. Hon 63 -105. Yet the, quanto flagrabant pectora vote, is all

in iv Conf. Hon. 70 — 1 17-)* ar>d tne Chro- that flattery would allow to a a n.em^ ny

nicies publiflied by Scaligcr. pott ; who clearly dr-icriLc- the emperor's

111 This difeafe, afcribed by Socrates (1. v. refufal, and the journey o: *hr

•c. 26.) to the fatig ues ot war, is reprefented the victory (Claudian 10 iii

Vol. III. K

66 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, from the hands of his dying father. The arrival of Honorius at

XXVII. J ° . ...

\ . i Milan was welcomed by a fplendid exhibition of the games of the

Circus; and the emperor, though he was oppreffed by the weight of
his diforder, contributed by his prefence to the public joy. But the
remains of his ftrength wrere exhaufted by the painful effort, which he
made, to aflift at the fpeclacles of the morning. Konorius fupplied,
during the reft of the day, the place of his father ; and the great
Theodofms expired in the enfuing night. Notwithftanding the recent
animcfities of a civil war, his death was univerially lamented. The
Barbarians, whom he had vanquifhed, and the churchmen, by whom
he had been fubdued, celebrated, with loud and fincere applaufe,
the qualities of the deceafed emperor, wrhich appeared the raoft va-
luable in their eyes. The Romans were terrified by the impending
dangers of a feeble and divided adminiftration ; and every difgrace-
ful moment of the unfortunate reigns of Arcadius and Honorius re-
vived the memory of their irreparable lofs.
Corraption \n the faithful picture of the virtues of Theodofms, his imper-

of the times. *

fections have not been diuembled ; the act of cruelty, and the habits
of indolence, which tarnifhed the glory of one of the greateft of
the Roman princes. An hiftorian, perpetually adverfe to the fame
of Theodofms, has exaggerated his vices, and their pernicious effects ;
he boldly afferts, that every rank of fubjects imitated the effeminate
manners of their fovereign ; that every fpecies of corruption pol-
luted the courfe of public and private life ; and that the feeble reftraints
of order and decency were infufficient to refift the progrefs of that
degenerate fpirit, which facriflces, without a blufh, the confideration
of duty and intereft to the bafe indulgence of floth and appetite ***.
The complaints of contemporary writers, who deplore the increafe of
luxury, and depravation of manners, are commonly expreflive of
their peculiar temper and fituation. There are few obfervers, who.

M+ Zofimus, 1. iv. p. 244.

pofTels

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

pofiefs a clear and comprehenfive view of the revolutions of fociety ; Cx^^jP'

and who are capable of difcovering the nice and fecrct fprings of * „— -J

action, which impel, in the fame uniform direction, the blind and
capricious paffions of a multitude of individuals. If it can be affirm-
ed, with any degree of truth, that the luxury of the Romans was
more fhamelefs and dhTolute in the reign of Theodofius than in the
age of Ccnftantine, perhaps, or of Auguftus, the alteration cannot
be afcribed to any beneficial improvements, which had gradually
increafed -the flock of national riches. A long period of calamity or
decay muft have checked the induftry, and diminifhed the wealth,
of the people ; and their profufe luxury muft have been the refult
of that indolent defpair, which enjoys the prefent hour, and declines
the thoughts of futurity. The uncertain condition of their property
difcouraged the fubjects of Theodofius from engaging in thofe ufeful
and laborious undertakings, which require an immediate expence,
and promife a How and diftant advantage. The frequent examples
of ruin and defoiation tempted them not to fpare the remains of a
patrimony, which might, every hour, become the prey of the rapa-
cious Goth. And the mad prodigality which prevails in the con-
fufion of a fhipwreck, or a fiege, may ferve to explain the progrefs
of luxury amidft the misfortunes and terrors of a finking nation.

The effeminate luxury, which infected the manners of courts and The infinity

l<iy nJicie their

cities, had inftilled a fecret and deftrudive poifon into the camps of ar'mcur.
the legions : and their degeneracy has been marked by the pen of a
military writer, who had accurately ftudied the genuine and ancient
principles of Roman difcipline. It is the juft and important obfer-
"vation of Vegetius, that the infantry was invariably covered with
defenfive armour, from the foundation of the city, to the reign of
the emperor Gratian. The relaxation of difcipline, and the difufe
of exercife, rendered the foldiers lefs able, and lefs willing, to fupport
the fatigues of the fervice ; they complained of the weight of the

K 2 armour,

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CXXVIIP' armoiir5 which they feldom wore ; and they fuccexTively obtained the
— > — J permiffion of laying afide both their cuirafles and their helmets-
The heavy weapons of their anceftors, the fhort fword, and the
formidable pilum, which had fubdued the world, infenfibly dropped
from their feeble hands. As the ufe of the fhield is incompatible
with that of the bow, they reluctantly marched into the field; con-
demned to mlTer, either the pain of wounds, or the ignominy of
flight, and always difpofed to prefer the more fhameful alternative.
The cavalry of the Goths, the Huns, and the Alani, had felt the
benefits, and adopted the ufe, of defenfrve armour ; and, as they
excelled in the management of mifTile weapons, they eafily over-
whelmed the naked and trembling legions, whofe heads and breafta
were expofed, without defence, to the arrows of the Barbarians.
The lofs of armies, the deftru&ion of cities, and the difhcnoiir of
the Roman name, ineffectually folicited the fuccefTors of Gratian to
reftore the helmets and cuiralfes of the infantry. The enervated
foldiers abandoned their own, and the-public, defence ; and their pu-
fillanimous indolence may be confidered as the immediate caufe of
the downfal of the empire ,2S.

115 Vegetius, de Re Militari, I. i. c. 10. he dedicates his book, is the Jaft andmoft in-
The feries of calamities., which he marks, glorious of the Valentinians.
compel us to believe, that the Hero, to whom

CHAP.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

C H A l\ XXVHL

Final DeftruElion of Paganifm. — IntroduSlion of the T^or-
fljip of Saints^ and Relics, arxong the Chriflians.

rpHE ruin of Paganifm, in the age of Theodofms, is perhaps CHAP,.

JL the only example of the total extirpation of any ancient and . X?jVjLI^j.
popular fuperftition ; and may therefore deferve to be confidered, as ^"he ^^"c"
a fingular event in the hiftory of the human mind. The Chriftians, Pagan reli-
more efpecially the clergy, had impatiently fupported the prudent A. D. 378 —
delays of Conftantine, and the equal toleration of the elder Valenti- 395'
nian ; nor could they deem their conqueit perfect or fecure, as
long as their adverfaries were permitted to exift. The influence,
which Ambrofe and his brethren had acquired over the youth of
Gratian, and the piety of Theodofms, was employed to infufe the
maxims of perfecution into the breafts of their Imperial profelytes.
Two fpecious principles of religious jurifprudence were eitablifhed,.
from whence they deduced a direct and rigorous conclufion, againft
the fubjects of the empire, who ftili adhered to the ceremonies of
their anceftors : that, the magiftrate is, in fome meafure, guilty of
the crimes which he neglects to prohibit, or to punim ; and, that
the idolatrous worfhip of fabulous deities, and real daemons, is the
mod abominable crime againft the fupreme majefty of the Creator..
The laws of Mofes, and the examples of Jewim hiftory ', were haftily,

perhaps

1 St. Ambrcfe (torn. ii. de Obit. Theodof. the zeal of Jofiah in the deftruclion of idola-
p. 1208.) exprefsly pfaifcs and recommends try. The language of Julius Firmicus Ma-
tern us

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CvwfTTP' Perhaps erroneoufly, applied, by the clergy, to the mild and uni-

AAV

-%— verfal reign of Chriftianity \ The zeal of the emperors was ex-
cited to vindicate their own honour, and that of the Deity : and the
temples of the Roman world were fubverted, about fixty years after
the converfion of Conftantine.
State of Pa- From the age of Numa, to the reign of Gratian, the Romans
Rome? at preferved the regular fucceffion of the feveral colleges of the facer-
dotal order3. Fifteen Pontiffs exercifed their fupreme jurifdiclion
over all things, and perfons, that were confecrated to the fervice of
the gods ; and the various queftions which perpetually arofe in a
loofe and traditionary fyftem, were fubmitted to the judgment of
their holy tribunal. Fifteen grave and learned Augurs obferved
the face of the heavens, and prefcribed the actions of heroes, accord-
ing to the flight of birds. Fifteen keepers of the Sybilline books (their
name of Quindecemvirs was derived from their number) occa-
fionally confulted the hiftory of future, and, as it mould feem, of
contingent, events. Six Vestals devoted their virginity to the
guard of the facred fire, and of the unknown pledges of the duration
of Rome ; which no mortal had been fuffered to behold with im-
punity \ Seven Epulos prepared the table of the gods, conducted
the folemn proceffion, and regulated the ceremonies of the annual

ternus on the fame fubjeft (de Errore Profan. torn. i. p. 1 — 90.), and Movie (vol. i. p. 10 —

Relig. p. 467, edit. Gronov.) is pioufly in- 55.). The laft is the work of an Englifh

human. Nec filio jubet (the Mofaic Law) Whig, as well as of a Roman antiquary. '

parci, nec fratri, et per amatam conjugem. 4 Thefe myftic, and perhaps imaginary,

gladium vindicem ducit, &c. fymbols have given birth to various fables

* Bayle (torn. ii. p. 406, in his Commen- and conjeftures. It feems probable, that the

taire Philofophique) j uftifies, and limits, thefe Palladium was a fmall itatue ( three cubits and

intolerant laws by the temporal reign of Je- a half high) of Minerva, with a lance and

hovah over the Jews. The attempt is laud- diftaff ; that it was ufually inclofed in a feria,

able. or barrel ; and that a fimilar barrel was placed

3 See the outlines of the Roman hierarchy by its fide, to difconcert curiofity, or facri-

in Cicero (de Legibus, ii. 7, 8.), Livy (i. 20.), lege. See Mezeriac (Comment, fur les Epi-

Dionyfius HalicarnafFenfis (1. ii. p. 119— 129. tres d'Ovide, tern. i. p. 60— 1"6.), and Lip-

cdk.Hudfon),Beaufort(RepubliqueRomaine, fius (torn. iii. p. 61b. de Vella, &c. c. ic).

feftival.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

feftival. The three Flamens of Jupiter, of Mars, and of Qui-
rinus, were coniidered ar» the peculiar minifters of the three mod
powerful deities, who watched over the fate of Rome and of the
univerfe. The King of the Sacrifices reprefentcd the perfon of
Numa, and of his fucceffors, in the religious functions, which
could be performed only by royal hands. The confraternities of
the Salians, the Lupercals, &c. practifed fuch rites, as might
extort a fmile of contempt from every reafonable man, with a lively
confidence of recommending themfelves to the favour of the immortal
gods. The authority, which the Roman priefts had formerly ob-
tained in the counfels of the republic, was gradually abolifhed by
the eftablifhment of monarchy, and the removal of the feat of
empire. But the dignity of their facred character was ftill protected
by the laws and manners of their country ; and they ftill continued,
more efpecially the college of pontiffs, to exercife in the capital, and
fometimes in the provinces, the rights of their ecclefiaftical and civil
jurifdiction. Their robes of purple, chariots of ftate, and fumptuous
entertainments, attracted the admiration of the people ; and they re-
ceived, from the confecrated lands, and the public revenue, an ample
ftipend, which liberally fupported the fplendour of the priefthood,
and all the expences of the religious worfhip of the ftate. As the
fervice of the altar was not incompatible with the command of armies,
the Romans, after their confulfhips and triumphs, afpired to the
place of pontiff, or of augur ; the feats of Cicero 5 and Pompey were
filled, in the fourth century, by the moft illuftrious members of the
fenate ; and the dignity of their birth reflected additional fplendour
on their facerdotal character. The fifteen priefts, who compofed the

5 Cicero, frankly (adAtticum, 1. ii. epift. in the footfteps of Cicero (1. iv. epift. 8.),

5.), orindire&ly (ad Familiar. 1. xv. epift. 4..), and the chain of tradition might be continued

confefies, that the Augurate is the fupreme from hiitory, and marbles,
object of his wifhes. Pliny is proud to tread

I college

THE DECLINE AND FALL

H ^ Pf college of pontiffs, enjoyed a more diftinguifhed rank as the compa-

v -v ► nions of thjir foverelgn ; and the Chriftian emperors condefcended to

accept the robe and enligns, which were appropriated to the office of
fupreme pontiff. But when Gratian afcended the throne, more fcru-
pulous, or more enlightened, he fternly rejected thofe prophane
fymbols 6 ; applied to the fervice of the ftate, or of the church, the
revenues of the priefts and veftals ; abolifhed their honours and im-
munities ; and diflblved the ancient fabric of Roman fuperftition,
which was fupported by the opinions, and habits, of eleven hundred
years. Paganifrn was flill the conftitutional religion of the fenate.
The hall, or temple, in which they aflembled, was adorned by the
flatue and altar of victory 7 ; a majeftic female (landing on a globe,
with flowing garments, expanded wings, and a crown of laurel in
her out-ftretched hand 8. The fenators were fworn on the altar of
the goddefs, to obferve the laws of the emperor and of the empire ; and
a folemn offering of wine and incenfe was the ordinary prelude of their
public deliberations 9. The removal of this ancient monument was
the only injury which Conftantius had offered to the fuperftition of
the Romans. The altar of Victory was again reflored by Julian,
tolerated by Valentinian, and once more banifhed from the fenate
by the zeal of Gratian '°. But the emperor yet fpared the ftatues of
the gods which were expofed to the public veneration : four hundred
and twenty-four temples, or chapels, ftill remained to fatisfy the de-
votion of the people ; and in every quarter of Rome, the delicacy

6 Zoiimils,'. iv. p. 249, 250. I have fup- very awkward portrait of Viclcry : but the
prefied the fooliih pun about Pontifex and curious reader will obtain more fatisfaclion
Maxima*. from llontfaucon's Antiquities (torn. i. p.

7 This ftatue was tranfpcrted from Taren- 341 .)..

turn to Rome, placed in the Curia Julia by 9 See Suetonius (in Auguft. c. 35. )> and.

Ojfar, and decorated by Auguftus with the the Exordium of Piiny's Panegyric,

fpcils of Egypt. 10 Thefe fafts arc mutually al:owed by thq

a Prudentius (1. ii. in initio) has drawn a two advocates, Symmachus and Ambrofe,

3 of

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

of the Chriftians was offended by the fumes of idolatrous facri- C H A P.

XXVIII.

nee ". * j '

But the Chriftians formed the leaft numerous party in the fenate Petition of
of Rome 11 j and it w,as only by their abfence, that they could exprefs fQer jhe^har
their diffent from the legal, though profane, acts of a Pagan majo- ^ d^?-'
rity. In that affembly, the dying embers of freedom were, for a
moment, revived and inflamed by the breath of fanaticifm. Four
refpectable deputations were fucceffively voted to the Imperial
court 13 , to reprefent the grievances of the priefthood and the fenate ;
and to folicit the reftoration of the altar of Victory. The conduct of
this important bufinefs was entrufted to the eloquent Symmachus
a wealthy and noble fenator, who united the facred characters of pon-
tiff and augur, with the civil dignities of proconful of Africa, and
pra?fec~t of the city. The breaft of Symmachus was animated by the
warmeft zeal for the caufe of expiring Paganifm ; and his religious
antagenifts lamented the abufe of his genius, and the inefEcacy of
his moral virtues 15. The orator, whofe petition is extant to the
emperor Valentinian, was confeious of the difficulty and danger of
the office which he had affumed. He cautioufly avoids every topic
which might appear to reflect on the religion of his fovercignj. hum-

11 The Neiitia Vrbis, more recent than fourth (A. D. 392.) to Valentinian. Lardr.er
Conftantine, does not find one Chriftian (Heathen Tefiimonies, vol. iv. p. 372 —
church worthy to be named among the edi- 399-) fairly reprefents the whole tranfac-.
ficesofthecity. Ambrofe (torn. ii. epift. xvii. tion.

p. 825.) deplores the public fcandals of I+ Symmachus, who was inverted with all

Rome, which continually offended the eyes, the civil and facerdotal honours, reprefented

the ears, and the noftrils of the faithful. the emperor under the two characters of Pok-

12 Ambrofe repeatedly affirms, in contra- tifex Maximus, and Princeps Senatus. See
di&ion to common fenfe (Moyle's Works, the proud infeription at the head of his
vol. ii. p. 147.), that the Chriftians had a works.

majority in the fenate. 15 As if any one, fays Prudentius (in

13 The firji (A. D. 382.) to Gratian, Symmach. i. 659.), fhould dig in the mud
who refufed them audience. The fecond (A. with an inftrument of gold and ivory. Even
D. 384.) to Valentinian, when the field was faints, and polemic faints, treat this adver-
difputed by Symmachus and Ambrofe. The fary with refpect and civility.

third (A. D. 388.) to Theodofius ; and the

Vol. III. L bly

THE DE'CLINE AND FALL

bly declares, that prayers and entreaties are his only arms ; and art-
fully draws his arguments from the fchools of rhetoric, rather than
from thofe of philofophy. Symmachus endeavours to feduce the
imagination of a young prince, by difplaying the attributes of the
goddefs of victory; he infinuates, that the confifcation of the reve-
nues, which were confecrated to the fervice of the gods, was a mea-
fure unworthy of his liberal and difmterefted chara<£ter ; and he
maintains, that the Roman facriiices would be deprived of their force ;
and energy, if they were no longer celebrated at the expence,. as well
as in the name, of the republic. Even fcepticifm is made to fupply
an apology for fuperftition. The great and incomprehenfible fecret
of the univerfe eludes the enquiry of man. Where reafon cannot in--
ftruct, cuftom may be permitted to guide ; and every nation feems
to eonfult the dictates of prudence, by a faithful attachment to thofe
rites, and opinions, which have received the fanction of ages. If
thofe ages have been crowned with glory and profperity, if the de--
vout people has frequently obtained the bleffings which they have
folicited at the altars of the gods, it muft appear ftill more advifable
to perfift in the fame falutary practice ; and not to rifk the unknown
perils that may attend any rafh innovations. The teft of antiquity
and fuccefs was applied with fmgular advantage to the religion
of Numa; and Rome herfelf, the cacleftial genius that prefided
. over the fates of the city, is introduced by the orator to plead
her own caufe before the tribunal of the emperors, " Moft excel-
" lent .princes,'* fays the venerable matron, " fathers of your coun--
" try ! pity and refpect my age, which has hitherto flowed in an
" uninterrupted courfe of piety. Since I do not repent, permit me
M to continue in the practice of my ancient rites. Since I am born
'* fsee, allow me to enjoy my domeftic inftitutions* This religion
" has reduced the world under my laws. Thefe rites have repelled
*' Hannibal from the city, and the Gauls from the capitol. Were
my gray hairs referved for fuch intolerable difgrace ? I am igno-
,3 " rant

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

<l rant of the new fyftem, that I am required to adopt; but I am CHAP.

A. A. V ILL*

" well affured, that the correction of old age is always an ungrateful < v /

" and ignominious office I6." The fears of the people fupplied what
the difcretion of the orator had fuppreffed ; and the calamities, which
afflicted, or threatened, the declining empire, were unanimoufly im-
puted, by the Pagans, to the new religion of Chrift and of Con-
ftantine.

But the hopes Gf Symmachus were repeatedly baffled by the firm Converfioa
and dexterous oppofition of the archbifhop of Milan ; who fortified a D. 388,
the emperors againft the fallacious eloquence of the advocate of &c*
Rome. In this controverfy, Ambrofe condefcends to fpeak the lan-
guage of a philofopher, and to aflc, with fome contempt, why it
ihould be thought necefTary to introduce an imaginary and invifible
power, as the caufe of thofe victories, which were fufficiently ex-
plained by the valour and difcipline of the legions. He juftly de-
rides the abfurd reverence for antiquity, which could only tend to
?difcourage the improvements of art, and to replunge the human race
into their original barbarifm. From thence gradually rifing to a
more lofty and theological tone, he pronounces, that Chrifiianity
alone is the doctrine of truth and falvation; and that every mode of
Polytheifm conducts its deluded votaries, through the paths of error,
to the abyfs of eternal perdition 17. Arguments like thefe, when

See the fifty-fourth epiftle of the tenth is a fhort caution ; the latter is a formal reply-
book of Symmachus. In the form and dif- to the petition or libel of Symmachus. The
pofition of his ten books of epiftles, he imi- fame ideas are more copioully expreffed in
tated the younger Pliny; whofe rich and the poetry, if it may deferve that name, of
florid ftyle he was fuppofed, by his frienda, to Prudentius; who compofed his two books
equal or excel (Macrob. Saturnal. 1. v. c. i.). againft Symmachus (A. D. 404.) while that
But the luxuriancy of Symmachus confifts of fenator was ftill alive. It is whimfical
barren leaves, without fruits, and even with- enough, that Montefquiau (Confiderations,
out flowers. Few fadls, and few fentiments, &c. c. xix. torn. iii. p. 487.) mould over-
<an be extracted from his verbofe correfpond- look the two profefled antagonilts of Sym-
ence. machus ; and amufe himfelf with defcanting
17 See Ambrofe (torn. ii. epift. xvii, xviii. on the more remote and indirect confutations
p. 825—833.). The former of thefe epiftles of Orofius, St. Auguftin, and Salvian.

L 2 they

THE DECLINE AND FALL^

c H .f,Tp# they were fuggefted by a favourite bifhop, had power to prevent the-

XXV 111*

v ' reftoration of the altar of Victory ; but the fame arguments fell, with1

much more energy and effect, from the mouth of a conqueror; and*
tne gods of antiquity were dragged in triumph at the chariot- wheels
of Theodofius 1!. - In a full meeting of the fenate, the emperor,
propofed, according to the forms of the republic, the important
queflion, Whether the wormip of Jupiter, or that of Chrift, mould be
the religion of the Romans. The liberty of fuffrages, which he af-
fected to allow, was deftroyed by the hopes and fears, that his pre-
fence infpired ; a*:d the arbitrary exile of Symmachus was a recent
admonition, that it might be dangerous to oppofe the wifhes of the
monarch. On a regular divifion of the fenate, Jupiter was condemned
and degraded by the fenfe of a very large majority ; and it is rather
furprifing, that any members mould be found bold enough to declare,
by their fpeeches and votes, that they were ftill attached to the in-
tereft of an abdicated deity '*. The hafty converfion of the fenate
muft be attributed either to fupernatural or to fordid motives ; and
many of thefe reluctant profelytes betrayed, on every favourable
occafion, their fecret difpofition to throw afide the mafk of odious
diffimulation. But they were gradually fixed in the ■ new religion;
as the caufe of the ancient became more hopelefs ; they yielded to
the authority of the emperor, to the fafhion of the times, and to the'

13 See Prudentius (in Symmach. I. i. Adfpice quam pleno fubfellia noftra Senatu

545, &c.)- The ChrilUan agrees with the Decernant infame Jovis pulvinar, et omne •

Pagan Zofimus (1. iv. p. 283.), in placing Idolium longe purgata ab urbe fugandum.

this vifit of Theodofius after the fecond civil Qua vocat egregii fententia Principis, illuc-

war, gemini bis victor caede Tyranni (1. i. Libera, cum pedibus, turn corde, frequen-
410.). But the time and circumlrances are tia tranfit.

better fuited to his firft triumph. ^ r r , . . . ,

IO , . _ . r , . . . Zofimus afcnbes to the confcnpt fathers an

19 Prudentius, after provin? that the fenfe , , . , r r. ,

c , r -jijuIt •• heathenifh courage, which few of them are

of the lenate is declared by a legal majority, found w „^ 6

proceeds to fay (609, &c), t

entreaties

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

77'

Entreaties of their waves and children , who were indicated and c H A p-
i , , , c x\ , XXVIJi.

governed by the clergy of Rome and the monks of the Eaft. The <- — .v~~->

edifying example of the Anician family wras foon imitated by the reft
of the nobility: the Baffi, the Paullini, the Gracchi, embraced the
Chriftian religion ; and " the luminaries of the wrorld, the venerable
afTembly of Catos (fuch are the high-flown expreffions of Pru-
dentius), .were impatient to ftrip themfelves of their pontifical gar-
ment; to, caft the {kin of the old ferpent ; to aflume the fnowy
robes of baptifmal innocence ; and to humble the pride of the con-
** fular fafces before the tombs of the martyrs "." The citizens, who
fubfifted by their own induftry, and the populace, who were fup-
ported by the public liberality, filled the churches of the Lateran,
and Vatican, wTith an incefTant throng of devout profelytes. The
decrees of the fenate, which profcribed the worfhip of idols, were
ratified by the general confent of the Romans 22 ; the fplendour of
the capitol was defaced, and the folitary temples were abandoned to
ruin and contempt23. Rome fubmitted to the yoke of the Gofpel;
and the vanquifhed provinces had not yet loft their reverence for the
name and authority of Rome.

The filial piety of the emperors themfelves engaged them to pro- Deftruftion
ceed, with fome caution and tendernefs, in the reformation of the pies in the

provinces,
A. D. 381*.-

ia Jerem fpecifies the pontiff Albinus, The fancy of Prudentius is warmed and ele- &c.
■who was furrounded with fuch a believing fa- vated by vidtory.

mily of children, and grand-children, as " Prudentius, after he has defcribed the
would have been fufficient to convert even C0nverfl0n of the fenate and , a&s .
ppuer himfelf ; an extraordmary profelyte ! ^ fome ^ and confid
(torn. l. ad Laetam, p. 54.)
" Exfultare Patres videas, pulcherrima Et dubitamus adhucRomam, tibi,-Chrifte, .
mundi dicatam
Lumina ; conciliumque fenum geftire jn ieges transifle tuas ?
Catonum

Candidiore toga niveum pietatis amic- * Jerom exults in the Eolation of the
turn capitol, and the other temples of Rome

Sumere; et exuvias deponere pontifi- (torn, j. p. 54. torn. ii. p. 95.),
cales.,

eternal I

THE DECLINE AND FALL

eternal city. Thofe abfolute monarchs acted with lefs regard to trie
prejudices of the provincials. The pious labour which had been
fufpended near twenty years fince the death of Conftantius was
vigoroufly refumed, and finally accomplifhed, by the zeal of Theo-
dofius. Whilft that warlike prince yet Struggled with the Goths,
not for the glory, but for the fafety, of the republic ; he ventured
- to offend a considerable party of his Subjects, by fome acts which
might perhaps Secure the protection of Heaven, but which muft
feem rafh and unfeafonable in the eye of human prudence. The
fuccefs of his firft experiments againft the Pagans, encouraged the pious
emperor to reiterate and enforce his edicts of proscription : the fame
laws which had been originally published in the provinces of the
Eaft, were applied, after the defeat of Maximus, to the whole extent
of the Weftern empire; and every victory of the orthodox Theodo-
fius contributed to the triumph of the Christian and Catholic faith 1S.
He attacked SuperStition in her moft vital part, by prohibiting the
uSe of facrifices, which he declared to be criminal, as well as infa-
mous : and if the terms of his edicts more Strictly condemned the
impious curiofity which examined the entrails of the victims as,
every Subsequent explanation tended to involve, in the fame
guilt, the general practice of immolation, which effentially con-
stituted the religion of the Pagans. As the temples had been
erected for the purpofe. of facrifice, it was the duty of a benevolent
prince to remove from his Subjects the dangerous temptation, of

Libanius (Orat. pro Templis, p. 10. is See his laws in the Theodofian Code,
Genev. 1634, publifhed by James Gode- 1. xvi. tit- x. leg. 7 — !i.
froy, and now extremely fcarce) accufes 16 Homer's facrifices are not accompanied
Valentinian and Valens of prohibiting facri- with any inquifition of entrails (fee Feithius,
£ces. Some partial order may have been Antiquitat. Homer. 1. i. c. 10. 16. )• TheTuf-
jii'uedby the Extern emperor : but the idea of cans, who produced the firft Haru/pices, Alb-
any general law is contradicted by the filence dued both the Greeks and the Romans (Cl-
ef the Code, and the evidence of ecclefiaflical cero de Divinatione, ii. 23.).
hiflcry.

offending

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 79

©fFendias: againft the laws which he had enacted. A fpecial com- CHAP.

. . 1 XXVIIL-

miffion was granted to Cynegius, the Pratonan praefect or the Eaft, v— —

and afterwards to the counts Jovius and Gaudentius, two officers of
diftinguifhed rank in the Weft ; by which they were directed to (hut
the temples, to feize or deftroy the inftruments of idolatry, to abo-
Iifh the privileges of the priefts, and to confifcate the confecrated
property for the benefit of the emperor, of the church, or of the
army *7. Here the defolation might have flopped : and the naked
edifices, which were no longer employed in the fervice of idolatry,
might have been,.protected from the deftructive rage of fanaticifm.
Many of thofe temples were the moft fplendid and beautiful monu-
ments of Grecian architecture : and the emperor himfelf was inte-
rested not to deface the fplendour of his own cities, or to diminifh the
value of his own pofTeffions. Thofe {lately edifices might be fuffered
to remain, as fo many lafting trophies of the victory of Chrift. I11
the decline of the arts, they might be ufefully converted into maga-
zines, manufactures, or places of public affembly : and perhaps,
when the walls of the temple had been fufficiently purified by holy
rites, the worfhip of the true Deity might be allowed to expiate the
ancient guilt of idolatry. But as long as they fubfifted, the Pagans
fondly cherifhed the fecret hope, that an aufpicious revolution, a
fecond Julian, might again reftore the altars of the gods ; and the
earneftnefs with which they addrefied their unavailing prayers to the
throne "8, increafed the zeal of the Chriftian reformers to extirpate,
without mercy, the root of fuperftition. The laws of the emperors

17 Zofimus, I. Iv. p. 245. 249. Theo- 2S Cod. Theodof. 1. xvi. tit. x. leg. 8. 18.

doret, I. v. c. 21. Idatius in Chron. Prof- There is room to believe, that this temple of

per. Aquitan. 1. iii. c. 38. apud Baronium,- Edefla, which Theodofius wifhed to fave for

Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 389. N° 52. Liba- civil ufes, was foon afterwards a heap of

nius (pro Templis, p. ic.) labours to prove, ruins (Libanius pro Templis, p. 26, 27. and

that the commands of Theodofius were not Godefroy's notes, p. 59.).
diiedl and pofuive.

exhibit

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C *? ^ p- exhibit fome fymptoms of a milder clifpofition 19 : but their cold and
i__ m - , _j languid efforts were infufficient to ftem the torrent of enthufiafm and
rapine, which was conducted, or rather impelled, by the fpiritual
rulers of the church. In Gaul, the holy Martin, bifhop of Tours 3°,
marched at the head of his faithful monks to deftroy the idols, the
temples, and the confecrated trees of his extenfive diocefe ; and, in
the execution of this arduous tafk, the prudent reader will judge
whether Martin was fupported by the aid of miraculous powers, or
of carnal weapons. In Syria, the divine and excellent Marcellus 3I,
as he is ftiled by Theodoret, a bifhop animated with apoftolic fer-
vour, refolved to level with the ground the ftately temples within
the diocefe of Apamea. His attack was refifted, by the {kill and foli-
dity, with which the temple of Jupiter had been conftructed. The
building was feated on an eminence: on each of the four fides, the
lofty roof was fupported by fifteen mafTy columns, fixteen feet in
circumference; and the large ftones of which they were compofed,
were firmly cemented with lead and iron. The force of the ftrongeft
and fharpeft tools had been tried without effecl:. It was found ne-
cefTary to undermine the foundations of the columns, which fell
down as foon as the temporary wooden props had been confumed
with fire ; and the difficulties of the enterprife are defcribed under
the allegory of a black daemon, who retarded, though he could not
defeat, the operations of the Chriftian engineers. Elated with vic-
tory, Marcellus took the field in perfon againft the powers of dark-

15 See this curious oration of Libanius (as Don Quixote might have done) an harm-
pro Templis, pronounced, or rather compofed, lefs funeralfor an idolatrous proceffion, and
about the year 390. I have confulted, with- imprudently committed a miracle,
advantage, Dr. Lardner's verfion and remarks 31 Compare Sozcmen (1. vii. c. 15.) with
(Heathen Tefcimonies, vol. iv. p. 135 — Theodoret (I. v. c. 21.). Between them,
163.). they relate the crufade and death of Mar-

30 See the life of Martin, by Sulpicius cellus.
.Scverus, c. 9 — 14. The faint once miftook

1 nefsj

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

nefs : a numerous troop of foldiers and gladiators marched under the CHAP.

XXVIII.

epifcopal banner, and he fucceffively attacked the villages and coun-
try temples of the diocefe of Apamea. Whenever any refiftance or
danger was apprehended, the champion of the faith, whofe lamenefs
v.rouid not allow him either to fight or fly, placed himfelf at a con-
venient diftance, beyond the reach of darts. But this prudence was
the occafion of his death : he was furprifed and flain by a body of
exafperated nifties ; and the fynod of the province pronounced,
without hefitation, that the holy Marcellus had facrinced his life in
the caufe of God. In the fupport of this caufe, the monks, who
rufhed, with tumultuous fury, from the defert, diftinguimed them-
felves by their zeal and diligence. They deferved the enmity of the
Pagans ; and fome of them might deferve the reproaches of avarice
and intemperance ; of avarice, which they gratified with holy plun-
der, and of intemperance, which they indulged at the expence of the
people, who foolimly admired their tattered garments, loud pfalmody,
.and artificial palenefs *\ A fmall number of temples was protected
by the fears, the venality, the tafte, or the prudence, of the civil and
ecclefiaftical governors. The temple of the celeftial Venus at Car-
thage, whofe facred precincts formed a circumference of two miles,
was judicioufly converted into a Chriftian church 33 ; and a fimilar
•confecration has preferved inviolate the majeftic dome of the Pan-
theon at Rome34. But in almoft every province of the Roman
world, an army of fanatics, without authority, and without difci-
pline, invaded the peaceful inhabitants ; and the ruin of the faireft

31 Libanius pro Templis, p. 10 — 13. He time, and the accefs to it was overgrown
rails at thefe black-garbed men, the Chrif- with brambles.

tian Monks, who eat more than elephants. ^ Do^as> Roma Antiqua etNova, I. iv,

p . />io«v.o«»r 1 ,i -1 c- 4- P- 4^8. This confecration was per-

roor elephants ! they are temperate animals. r T _ .r *

,, D , . . , . , formed by pope Boniface IV. I am ignorant

Profper. Aquitan. 1. ui. c. 38. apud of the favourable circumftances which had

£aronium; Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 389. N° preferved the Pantheon above two hundred

58, Sec. The temple had been Ihut fome years after the reign of Theodofius.

Vol. IIL M ftruftures

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C^H^A P. ftructures of antiquity ftill difplays the ravages of thofe Barbarians,
v— -v — mj who alone had time and inclination to execute fuch laborious deftruc-
tion.

The temple In this wide and various profpecT: of devaftation, the fpectator
Alexandria? may diftirguifh the ruins of the temple of Serapis, at Alexandria 3S.

Serapis does not appear to have been one of the native gods, or
monfters, who fprung from the fruitful foil of fuperftitious Egypt 3\
The flrft of the Ptolemies had been commanded, by a dream, to im-
port the ' myfterious ftranger from the coaft of Pontus, where he had
been long adored by the inhabitants of Sinope ; but his attributes and
his reign were fo imperfectly underftood, that it became a fubjec~t of
difpute, whether he reprefented the bright orb of day, or the gloomy
monarch of the fubterraneous regions 37. The Egyptians, who were
obftinately devoted to the religion of their fathers, refufed to admit
this foreign deity within the walls of their cities 3\ But the obie-
quious priefts, who were feduced by the liberality of the Ptolemies,
fubmitted, without refiftance, to the power of the god of Pontus :
an honourable and domeftic genealogy was provided; and this for-
tunate ufurper was introduced into the throne and bed of Ofiris I9,
the hufband of Ifis, and the celeftial monarch of Egypt. Alexandria,

35 Sophronius compofed a recent and fe- travelled into Egypt, were alike ignorant of
parate hiftory (Jerom, in Script. Ecclef. this new deity.

tern. i. p. 303.), which has fumiiTied mate- 33 Macrobius, Saturr.al. 1. 1. c. 7. Such>

rials to Socrates (I. v. c. 16.), Theodoret a living fact decifively proves his foreign ex-

(1. v. c. 22.), and Rufinus (!. ii. c, 22.). tra&ion.

Yet the lair, who had bee-n at Alexandria, 39 At Rome, Ifis and Serapis were united,

before, and after, the event, muy deferve in the fame temp'e. The precedency which •

the credit of an original vwitnefs. the queen aflamed, may feem to betray her

36 Gerard VblfiUs ^ Opera, tom. v. p. So. unequal alliance with the ftranger of Pontus.
& da Idol ilatria, 1. i. c. 29.) ftrives to fup- But the fupcriority of the fema'c fex was elta-
port the ftrange notion cf the Fathers ; that blilhed in Egypt -s a civil and religious infti—
the patriarch Jofeph was adored in Egypt, tution (Diodor. Sicul. tom. i. 1. i. p. 31.
as the bull Apib, and the god Serapis. edit. Wefleling), and the fame order is ob-

37 Origo dei nondnm nofti is ce'ebrata. ferved in Plutarch's Treatife of Ifis and O/f-. -
./BgyptaerilfiB antiftues Jic memorant, &c. ris; whom he identifies with Ssrapis.

Tacit. Hift. iv. 83. The Greeks, who had

which

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

which claimed his peculiar protection, gloried in the name of the city Cx^-^,/>'

of Serapis. His temple 40, which rivalled the pride and magnificence < * *

of the capitol, was erected on the . fpacious fummit of an artificial
mount, railed one hundred fteps above the level of the adjacent parts
of the city; and the interior cavity was ftrongly fupported by arches,
and diflributed into vaults and fubterraneous apartments. The con-
fecrated buildings were furrounded by a quadrangular portico; the
ftately halls, and exquifite ftatues, difplayed the triumph of the
arts; and, the treafures of ancient learning were preferred in the
famous Alexandrian library, which had arifen with new fplendour
from its allies 41. After the edicts of Theodofius had feverely pro-
hibited the facrifices of the Pagans, they were null tolerated in the
city and temple of Serapis ; and this fmgular indulgence was impru-
dently afcribed to the fuperftitious terrors of the ChrifKans themfelves :
as if they had feared to abolifh thofe ancient rites, which could
alone fecure the inundations of the Nile, the harvefls of Egypt, and
the fubfiftence of Conftantinople 4\

At that time 43 the archiepifcopal throne of Alexandria was filled its final de-
by Theophilus 4+, the perpetual enemy of peace and virtue ; a bold, a^D.0^.
bad man, whofe hands were alternately polluted with gold, and
with blood. His pious indignation was excited by the honours

*° Ammknus (xxil. 16.). The Expofmo ««tly provokes his Chriftian mailers by this

totius Mundi (p. 8. in H«dfon's Geograph. infulting remark.

Minor, torn, iii.), and Rufinus (1. ii. c. 22.), ^ We m^ chu!e bet«een the date of

celebrate the Serafeum, as one of the won- Marcellinus (A. D. 389.) or that of Profper

ders of the world. (A- D- 391-)- Tillemont (Hill, des Emp.

See Memo-Ires de l'Acad. des Infcrip- tom- v' P- 7S60 Prefers the former,

tions, torn. ix. p. 397-416. The old li- and ?*§],the latter' „

brary of the Ptolemies was totally confumed Tillemont Mem Ecdef. torn. xi. p

• r- r > a 1 j • n/i a 441 — 500. The ambiguous fituation of

in Cajfar s Alexandrian war. Marc Antony 17 3 *» .

• , , 11 n- c r> Theophilus, a faint, as the friend of lerom ;

gave the whole collection of Pergamus r ' + ' J UUI '

(200,000 volumes) to Cleopatra, as the ^ ^W, as the enemy of Chryfoftom ; pro-

.foundation of the*™ library of Alexandria. du" a [ort°f "tipartiahty : yet, upon the

rr. . . 1 • /■ whole, the balance is jultly inclined ae-iinlt

41 Libanius (pro Temphs, .p. 21.) indif- ^ * 0

M 2 of

84 THE DECLINE AND FALL

c v ^rrP' of Serapis; and the infults which he offered to an ancient chapel of
V-v-*^ Bacchus, convinced the Pagans that he meditated a more important
and dangerous enterprife. In the tumultuous capital of Egypt, the
flighteft provocation was fufficient to inflame a civil war. The vota-
ries of Serapis, whofe ftrength and numbers were much inferior to
thofe of their antagonifts, rofe in arms at the inftigation of the philofo-
pher Olympius 4S, who exhorted them to die in the defence of the
altars of the gods. Thefe Pagan fanatics fortified themfelves in the
temple,, or rather fortrefs, of Serapis ; repelled the befiegers by daring,
fallies, and a refolute defence; and, by the inhuman cruelties which
they exercifed on their Chriftian prifoners, obtained the laft confo-
lation of defpair. The efforts of the prudent magiftrate were ufefully
exerted for the eftablifliment of a truce, till the anfwer of Theodo-
fius Ihould determine the fate of Serapis. The two parties affembled,
without arms, in the principal fquare; and the Imperial refcript was
publicly read. But when a fentence of deftruction againft the idols
of Alexandria was pronounced, the Chriftians fent up a fhout of joy
and exultation, whilft the unfortunate Pagans, whofe fury had given
way to confirmation, retired with hafty and filent fteps, and eluded,,
by their flight or obfeurity, the refentment of their enemies. The-
©philus proceeded to demolifh the temple of Serapis, without any
other difficulties, than thofe which he found in the weight and foli-
dity of the materials ; but thefe obftacles proved fo infuperable^ that'
he was obliged to leave the foundations ; and to content himfelf with-
reducing the edifice itfelf to a heap of rubbifh, a part of which was
foon afterwards cleared away, to make room for a church, erecled
in honour of the Chriftian martyrs. The valuable library of Alex-

45 Lardner (Heathen Teftimonies, vol. iv. fliews the devout and virtuous Olvmpius,
p. 411.) has alleged a beautiful pafl'age from not in the light of a warrior, but of a pro-
Suidas, or rather, from Damafcius, which pheC

3 andria

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

andria was pillaged or deftroyed ; and, near twenty years afterwards, c H.A p'

the appearance of the empty fhelves excited the regret and indigna- ' >

tion of every fpectator, whofe mind was not totally darkened by
religious prejudice 4\ The compofitions of ancient genius, fo many "
of which have irretrievably periihed, might furely have been ex-
cepted from the wreck of idolatry, for the amufement and inftruction
of fucceeding ages; and either the zeal or the avarice of the arch-
bifhop 47, might have been fatiated with the rich fpoils, which were
the reward of his victory. While the images and vafes of gold and
filver were carefully melted, and thofe of a lefs valuable metal were
contemptuoufly broken, and caft into the ftreets, Theophilus laboured
to expofe the frauds and vices of the minifters of the idols ; their
dexterity in the management of the loadftone ; their fecret methods
of introducing an human actor into a hollow ftatue ; and their fcan-
dalous abufe of the confidence of devout hufbands, and imfufpecting
females48. Charges like thefe may feem to deferve fome degree of
credit, as they are not repugnant to the crafty and interefted fpirit of
fuperftition. But the fame -fpirit is equally prone to the bafe prac-
tice of infulting and calumniating a fallen enemy; and our belief is
naturally checked by the reflection^ that it is much lefs difficult to'
invent a fictitious ftory,. than to fupport a practical fraud. The co--

46 Nos vidimus armaria librorum, quibus
direptis, exinanita ea a noftris homintbus,
noftris temporibus memorant. Orofius, 1. vi.
c. 15. p. 421. edit. Havercamp. Though
a bigot, and a controverfial writer, Oroftus
feems to blufh.*

47 Eunapius, in the liv?s of Antoninus
and ^Edefius, execrates the facrilegioas ra-
pine of Theophilus. Tiiiemont (IVIem.
Ecclef. torn. xiii. p. 453.) quotes an cpiftle
of Ifidore of Pelufium, which reproaches the
primate with the idolatrous worfhip of gold,
the auri facra fames.

48 Rurinus names the prteft of Saturn,
who, in the character of the god,- fami-
liarly converfed with many pious ladies
of quality j till he betrayed himfelf, in
a moment of tranfport, when he could
not difguife the tone of his voice. The au-
thentic and impartial narrative of „3£fchines
(feeBaylc, Dic'tionnaire Critique, Scaman-
»re), and the advent re of Mundus (Jo-
feph. Antiquitat. Judaic. 1. xviii. c. 3. p,
877- edit. Havercamp.), may prove that liich
amorous frauds have been pracUTed with fuc-
cefs,

loflal

"THE DECLINE AND FALL

Cxxviil' ^atue °f Serapis 451 was involved in the ruin of his temple and

v- -v — religion. A great number of plates of different metals, artificially
joined together, compofed the majeftic figure of the Deity, who
touched on either fide the walls of the fanctuary. The afpetl: of Se-
rapis, his fitting pofture, and the fceptre, which he bore in his left
hand, were extremely fimilar to the ordinary reprefentations of Ju-
piter. He was diftinguifhed from Jupiter by the bafket, or bufhel,
which was placed on his head ; and by the emblematic monfter,
which he held in his right hand : the head and body of a fcrpent
branching into three tails, which were again terminated by the tri-
ple heads of a dog, a lion, and a wolf. It was confidently affirmed,
that if any impious hand mould dare to violate the majefty of the
god, the heavens and the earth would inftantly return to their origi-
nal chaos. An intrepid foldier, animated by zeal, and armed with a
weighty battle-axe, afcended the ladder ; and even the Chriftian
multitude expected, with fome anxiety, the event of the combat so.
He aimed a vigorous ftroke againft the cheek of Serapis ; the cheek
fell to the ground ; the thunder was ftill filent, and both the heavens
and the earth continued to preferve their accuftomed order and
tranquillity. The victorious foldier repeated his blows : the huge
idol was overthrown, and broken in pieces; and the limbs of Serapis
were ignominioufly dragged through the ftreets of Alexandria. His
mangled carcafe was burnt in the Amphitheatre, amidft the fhouts of
the populace ; and many perfons attributed their converfion to this
difcovery of the impotence of their tutelar deity. The popular modes

49 See the images of Serapis, in Mont- (Lucan. iii. 429.) " Is it true (faid Auguf-
faucon (rom. ii. p. 297.) : but the defcrip- " tus to z veteran of Italy, at whofe houfe
iion of Macrobius (Saturnal. I. i. c. 20.)' " he fupped), that the man, who gave the
is much more piclurefque and fatisfactcry. " fir.ft blow to the golden ftatue of Anaitis,

50 Sed fortes tremuere manus, motique " was inftantly deprived of his eyes, and of

verenda "his life?" " /was that man (replied the

Majefhte loci, fi robora facra ferirent *■* clear -figh ted veteran), and you now fup
In fua credebant redituras membra fe- •" on one of the legs of thegoddefs." {Plin.

£ures. Bill. Natur. xxxiii. 24.)

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

of 'religion, that propofe any-vifible and material objects of worfhip, CXH
have the advantage of adapting and familiarifing themfelves to the ^- — „ —
fenfes of mankind : but this advantage is counterbalanced by the va-
rious and inevitable accidents to which the faith of the idolater is
expofed. It is fcarcely porfible, that, in every difpofition of mind,
he mould preferve his implicit reverence for the idols, or the relics,
which the naked eye, and the profane hand, are unable to diftin-
guim from "the moft common productions of art, or nature; and if, in
the hour of danger, their fecret and miraculous virtue does not ope-
rate for their own prefervation, he fcorns the vain apologies of his
priefts, and juftly derides the object, and the folly, of his fuperfti--
tious attachment s\. After the fall of Serapis, fome hopes were ilill
entertained by the Pagans, that the Nile would refufe his annual
fupply to the impious matters of Egypt; and the extraordinary delay
of the inundation feemed to announce the difpleafure of the river-
god. But this delay was foon compenfated by the rapid fwell of the
waters. They fuddenly rofe to fuch an unufual height, as to com-
fort the difeontented party with the pleafmg expectation of a deluge ;
till the peaceful river again fubfided to the well-known and fertilifing
level of nxteen cubits, or about thirty Englifh feet 5\

The temples of the Roman empire were deferted, or deftroyed ; ^]le pao-a»
but the ingenious mperftition of the Pagans ftill attempted to elude ^jjibited
> the laws of Theodofius, by which all facrifices had been feverely A. D.390.
prohibited. The inhabitants of the country, whofe conduct' was lefs
expofed to the eye of malicious curiofity, difguifed their religious,
under the appearance of convivial, meetings. On the days of fa-

JI The Hiftory of the Reformation affords uniformly fubfifted fince the time of Hero-
frequent example* of the fudden change, from dotus. See Freret, in the Mem. de l'Aca-
fuperftition to contempt, demie des Infcriptions, torn. xvi. p. 344 —

Jl Sozomen, 1. vii. c. 20. I have fupplied 353. Greaves's Mifcellaneou3 Works, vol. i.

the meafure. The fame ftandard, of the in- p. 233. The Egyptian cubit is about twenty-

aiidationj and confequently of the cubit, has two inches of the Englilh meafure.

2 lcmn.

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Six villP' ^emn fe^iva^s> they affembled in great numbers under the fpreading
I made of fome confecrated trees ; flieep and oxen were flaughtered

and roafted ; and this rural entertainment was Sanctified by the ufe
of incenfe, and by the hymns, which were fung in honour of the
gods. But it was alleged, that, as no part of the animal was made
a burnt-offering, as no altar was provided to receive the blood, and
as the previous oblation of fait cakes, and the concluding ceremony
of libations, were carefully omitted, thefe feftal meetings did not in-
volve the guefts in the guilt, or penalty, of an illegal facrilice
Whatever might be the truth of the facts, or the merit of the dif-
tinction 5+, thefe vain pretences were fvvept away by the laft edict
of Theodofius; which inflicted a deadly wound on the fuperftition
of the Pagans". This prohibitory law is exprefled in the moft ab-
solute and comprehenfive terms. " It is our will and pleafure," fays
the emperor, " that none of our Subjects, whether magiftrates or
" private citizens, however exalted, or however humble may be
" their rank and condition, fhall prefume, in any city, or in any-
** place, to worfhip an inanimate idol, by the Sacrifice of a guiltlefs
" victim." The act of facrificing, and the practice of divination by
the entrails of the victim, are declared (without any regard to the
object of the enquiry) a crime of high-treafon againfl the ftate ;
which can be expiated only by the death of the guilty. The rites
.of Pagan fuperftition, which might feem lefs bloody and atrocious,
are abolifhed, as highly injurious to the truth and honour of reli-

53 Libanius (pro Templis, p. 15, 16, 17:)
.pleads their caufe with gentle and infinuating
rhetoric. From the earlieft age, fuch feafis
had enlivened the country ; and thofe of
Bacchus (Georgicii. 380.) had produced the
theatre of Athens. See Godefroy, ad loc.
jLiban. and Codex Theodof. torn. vi. p. 284.

5-4 Honorius tolerated thefe ru.aic fellivals
.{A. D. 399,)* " Abfjue ullo facrificio,, at-

** que ulla fuperftitione damnabili." But
nine years afterwards he found it neceffary to
reiterate and enforce the fame provifo (Codex
Theodof. 1. xvi. tit. x. leg. 17. 19. ,.

55 Cod. Theodof. 1. xvi. tit. x. leg. 12.
Jortin (Remarks on Ecclef. Hiftory, vol. iv.
p. 134.) cenfures, with becoming afperity,
the ftyle and fentiments of this intolerant
law.

gion,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

glon, luminaries, garlands, frankincenfe, and libations of wine, CXxvfnP'

are fpecially enumerated and condemned ; and the harmlefs claims < v— — '

of the domeftic genius, of the houfehold gods, are included in this
rigorous profcription. The ufe of any of thefe profane and il-
legal ceremonies, fubje&s the offender to the forfeiture of the houfe,
or eftate, where they have been performed ; and if he has artfully
chofen the property of another for the fcene of his impiety, he is
compelled to difcharge, without delay, a heavy fine of twenty-five
pounds of gold, or more than one thoufand pounds fterling. A
fine, not lefs confiderable, is impofed on the connivance of the fecret
enemies of religion, who mall neglect the duty of their refpectivc
ftations, either to reveal, or to punifh, the guilt of idolatry. Such
was the perfecuting fpirit of the laws of Theodofius, which were
repeatedly enforced by his fons and grandfons, with the loud
and unanimous applaufe of the Chriftian world 56.

In the cruel reigns of Decius and Diocletian, Chriftianity had Opprefied,
been profcribed, as a revolt from the ancient and hereditary religion
of the empire ; and the unjuft fufpicions which were entertained of
a dark and dangerous faction, were, in fome meafure, countenanced
by the infeparable union, and rapid conquefts, of the Catholic church.
But the fame excufes of fear and ignorance cannot be applied to the
'Chriftian emperors, who violated the precepts of humanity and cf
"the gofpel. The experience of ages had betrayed the weaknefs, as
well as folly,, of Paganifm ; the light of reafoil and of faith had
already expofed, to the greateft part of mankind, the vanity of idols;
and the declining feci:, which ftill adhered to their worfhip, might

56 Such a charge mould not be lightly " eft ; illius quippe impietatis capltale fup-

made ; but it may furely be juftified by the " plicium eft." Epift. xciii. N° 10. quoted

authority of St. Auguftin, who thus addref- by Le Clerc (Bibliotheque Choifie, torn. viii.

fes the Donatifts. " Quis noftriim, quis vef- p. 277.), who adds fome judicious reflections

** trum non laudat leges ab Imperatoribus on the intolerance of the victorious Chrif-

" datas adverfus facrilicia Paganorum ? Et tians.
xs certe longe ibi poena feverior conftituta

Vol. III. N have

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CXXVllf' ^aVe keen permitted to enjoy, in peace and obfcurity, the religious

— v ' cuftoms of their anceftors. Had the Pagans been animated by the

undaunted zeal, which pofTeffed the minds of the primitive believers',
the triumph of the church muft have been (rained with blood ; and
the martyrs of Jupiter and Apollo might have embraced the glorious
opportunity of devoting their lives and fortunes at the foot of their
altars. But fuch obftmate zeal was not congenial to the loofe and
carelefs temper of polytheifm. The violent and repeated ftrokes of
the orthodox princes, were broken by the foft and yielding fubftance
againfl which they were directed ; and the ready obedience of the
Pagans protected them from the pains and penalties of the Theodo-r
fian Code". Inftead of alTerting, that the authority of the gods was
fuperior to that of the emperor, they defifted, with a plaintive mur-
mur, from the ufe of thofe facred rites which their fovereign had
condemned. If they were fometimes tempted, by a fully of paffion,
or by the hopes of concealment, to indulge their favourite firperfti--
tion ; their humble repentance difarmed the feverity of the Chriftian.
magiftrate, and they feldom refiifed to atone for their rafhnefs, by
fubmitting, with fome fecret reluctance, to the yoke of the GofpcL
The churches were filled with the increafing multitude of thefe un-
worthy profelytes, who had conformed, from temporal motives, to
the reigning religion ; and whilft they devoutly imitated the pof-
tures, and recited the prayers, of the faithful, they fatisfied their con-
fcience by the filent and fmcere invocation of the gods of antiquity58.
If the Pagans wanted patience to fuffer, they wanted fpirit to refift.;
and the fcattered myriads, who deplored the ruin of the. temples,

57 Orofius, 1. vii. c. 28. p. 537. Auguftin s* Libanius (pro Templis, p. 17, 18*) men-
(Enarrat. in Pfalm cxl. apud Lardner, Hea- t;onS) witj10Ut cenfure, the occafional con-
then Teftimonies, vol. iv. p. 458.) infults fo ^ cheatrIcaI play 0f thefe
their cowardice. " Quis eorum comprehen- , .
" fus ell in facrificio (cum his kgibus ifta typocmes.
** prohiberentur) etnon negavitr"

yielded.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

9«

yielded, without a conteft, to the fortune of their adverfaries. The CJ A ''.
disorderly oppofition S9 of the peafants of Syria, and the populace u
of Alexandria, to the rage of private fanaticifm, was filenced by the-
name and authority of the emperor. The Pagans of the Weft, with-
out contributing to the elevation of Eugenius, diigraced, by their
partial attachment, the caufe and character of the ufurper. The
clergy vehemently exclaimed, that he aggravated the crime of rebel-
lion by the guilt of apoftacy ; that, by his permimon, the altar of
Victory was again reftored ; and that the idolatrous fymbols of Ju-
piter and Hercules were difplayed in the field, againft the invincible
ftandard of the crofs. But the vain hopes of the Pagans were foon
annihilated by the defeat of Eugenius ; and they were left expofed
to the refentment of the conqueror, who laboured to deferve the fa-
vour of Heaven by the extirpation of idolatry 60.

A nation of flaves is always prepared to applaud the clemency of an4j"*f?^7
their mafter, who, in the abufe of abfolute power, does not proceed A-D- 39°—
to the laft extremes of injuftice and oppreflion. Theodofius might 4"°'
undoubtedly have propofed to his Pagan fubjects the alternative of
baptifm or of death ; and the eloquent Libanius has praifed the mo-
deration of a prince, who never enacted, by any pofitive law, that
all his fubjects mould immediately embrace and practife the religion
of their fovereign 6\ The profemon of Chriftianity was not made
an effential qualification for the enjoyment of the civil rights of fo-
ciety, nor were any peculiar hardfhips impofed on the fectaries, who
creduloufly received the fables of Ovid, and obftinately rejected the

59 Libanius concludes his apology (p. 32.), guftin de Civitat. Dei, L v. c. 26. Theodo-
by declaring to the emperor, that unlefs he ret, 1. v. c. 24.

exprefsly warrants the deftruftion of the tern- 61 Libanius fuggelts the form of a perfe-

ples, ktOi to? nn ay^tn ietrwriif, xui avrut, xui cuting edict, which Theodofius might enact

tu tofky B'trfywona.:, the proprietors will defend (pro Templis, p. 32.); a ra(h joke, and a

themfelves and the laws. dangerous experiment. Some princes would

60 Paulinus, in Vit. Ambrof. c. 26. Au- have taken his advice.

N 2 miracles

THE DECLINE AND FALL

miracles of the Gofpel. The palace, the fchools, the army, and the
fenate, were filled with declared and devout Pagans; they obtained r
without diftinction, the civil and military honours of the empire.
Theodofius diftinguimed his liberal regard for virtue and genius by
the confular dignity, which he beftowed on Symmachus 61 ; and by
the perfonal friendlhip which he expreffed to Libanius "* ; and the-
two eloquent apolcgifts of Paganifm were never required either
to change, or to diffemble, their religious opinions. The Pa-
gans were indulged in the moft licentious freedom of fpeech and
writing ; the hiftorical and philofophic remains of Eunapius, Zo-
fimus**, and the fanatic teachers of the fchool of Plato, betray the
moft furious animofity, and contain the fbarpeft invectives againft
the fentiments and conduct of their victorious adverfaries. If thefe
audacious libels were publicly known, we mud applaud the good
fenfe of the Chriftian princes, who viewed, with a fmile of con-
tempt, the laft ftruggles of fuperftition and defpair 55. But the Im-
perial laws, which prohibited the facrifices and ceremonies of Pa-
ganifm, were rigidly executed ; and every hour contributed to
deftroy the influence of a religion,, which was fupported by cuftom,
rather than by argument. The devotion of the poet, or the philo-
fopher, maybe fecretly nourifhed by prayer, meditation, and ftudyp

•2 Denique pro meritis terreftribus asque
rependens

Munera, facricolis fummos impertit ho-
nores.

Ipfe magiftra.tum tibi confulis, ipfe tri-
bunal
Contulit.

Prudent. 5n Symmach. i. 617, &c.
•3 Libanius (pro Templis, p. 32.) is proud
that Theodofius fhould thus diftinguifh a
man, who even in his prefence would fwear
by Jupiter. Yet this prefence feeros to be no
more than a figure of rhetoric,

a* Zofimus, who ftyles himfelf Count and
Ex-advocate of the Treafury, reviles, with
partial and indecent bigotry, the Chriftian
princes, and even the father of his fovereign.
His workmuft have been privately circulated^
finceit efcaped the invectives of the ecclefiaf-
tical hiftorians prior to Evagrius (1. iii. c. 40.
■ — 42.), who lived towards the end of the
fixth century.

65 Yet the Pagans of Africa complained,
that the times would not allow them to an-
fwer with freedom the City of God : nor does
St. Auguftin (v. 26.) deny the charge.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

Slit the exercife of public worfhip appears to be the only folic! cVYV^rp'
foundation of the religious fentiments of the people, which d
their force from imitation and habit. The interruption of that public
-exercife may confummate, in the period of a few years, the import-
ant work of a national revolution. The memory of theological
opinions cannot long be preferved, without the artificial helps of
priefts, of temples, and of books M. The ignorant vulgar, whofe
minds are ftill agitated by the blind hopes and terrors of fuperfti-
tion, will foe foon perfuaded by their fuperiors, to direct their vows
to the reigning deities of the age ; and will infenfibly. imbibe an ar-
dent zeal for the fupport and propagation of 'the new doctrine,
which fpiritual hunger at firft compelled them to accept. The ge-
neration that arofe in the world after the promulgation of the Im-
perial laws, was attracted within the pale of the Catholic church :
and fo rapid, yet fo gentle, was the fall of Paganifm, that only
twenty-eight years after the death of Theodofius, the faint and mi-
nute veftiges were no longer vifible to the eye of the legifla- -

tor 6\

The ruin of the Pagan religion is defcribed by the fopnifts, -as a The worfhip
dreadful and amazing prodigy, which covered the earth with dark- tkn sartyrs.
nefs, and reftored the ancient dominion of chaos and of night. They
relate, in folemn and pathetic ftrains, that the temples were con-
verted into fepulchres, and that the holy places, which had been
adorned by the ftatues of the gods, were bafely polluted by the relics
of Chriftian martyrs. " The monks" (a race of fUthy animals, to >

<s The Moors of Spain, who fecretly pre- 67 Paganos qui fuperfunt, quanqnam jam

ferved the Mahometan religion, above a cen- nullos efTe credamus, &c. Cod. Theodof.

tury, under the tyranny of the Inquifition, 1. xvi. tit. x. leg. 22. A. D. 423. The *

poflefled the Koran, with the peculiar ufe of younger Theodofius was afterwards fatisfied,

the Arabic tongue. See the curious and ho- that his judgment had been fomewhat pre-

neft ftory of their expulfion in Geddes (Mif- mature,
cellanies, vol. i. p. 1 — 198.).

3 whom

THE DECLINE AND FALL

M
.a

ft
a

CHAP, whom Eunapius is tempted to refufe the name of men) " are the

' ' " authors of the new worfhip, which, in the pkice of thofe deities,

" who are conceived by the understanding, has fubftituted the
meaneft and moft contemptible flaves. The heads, faked and
pickled, of thofe infamous malefactors, who for the multitude of
their crimes have fuffered a juft and ignominious death ; their
bodies, flill marked by the imprefTion of the lafli, and the fears
" of thofe tortures which were inflicted by the fentence of the ma-
" giftrate; fuch" (continues Eunapius) " are the gods which the
" earth produces in our days; fuch are the martyrs, the fupreme
" arbitrators of our. prayers and petitions to the Deity, whofe tombs
are now confecrated as the objects of the veneration of the peo-
plefiS." Without approving the malice, it is natural enough to mare
the furprife, of the Sophift, the fpectator of a revolution, which
raifed thofe obfeure victims of the Jaws of Rome, to the rank of ce-
leftial and invifible protectors of the Roman empire. The grateful
refpect of the Chriftians for the martyrs of the faith, was exalted, by
time and victory, into religious adoration ; and the moft illuftrious
of the faints and prophets were defervedly aflbciated to the honours
of the martyrs. One hundred and fifty years after the glorious
deaths of St. Peter and St. Paul, the Vatican and the Oftian road
were diftinguiihed by the tombs, or rather by the trophies, of thofe
fpiritual heroes 69. In the age which followed the converfion of
•Conftantine, the emperors, the confuls, .and the generals of armies,
<devoutly vilited the fepulchres of a tent-maker and a fifherman 70 ;

6? See Eunapius, in the life of the fophift ?o chryfortom. Quod Chriltus fit Deus.
JEdefius; in that of Euftathius he foretels Tom. u nov. edit. tf* 9. I am indebted for
the ruin of Paganifm, «« r, zm **t this quocation t0 Benedict the XlVth's pafto-

<?>f;-o: Tvpanr,C3t tx E7ri ynr v.a.\>\TZ^ , , ..... _ ,

60 • / 1 T7 r u tr-n. n 1 r 1 •• ra' letter on the jubilee of the year i7to.
09 Caius (apud Euteb. Hilt, licclef. 1. U. J 1

c. 25.), a Roman prelbyter, who lived in See the curious and entertaining letters of M,
- the time of Zephyrinus (A. D. 202 — 219.), Chais, torn. 111.
is an early witnelsof this fuperftitious practice.

% and

GF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

and their venerable bones were depoiited under the altars of Chrift, c„H,;"),r1''

' XX\III.
on which the bifhops of the royal city continually offered the un- 1 * '

bloody facrifice 11 . The new capital of the eaftern world, unable to
produce any ancient and domeflic trophies, was enriched by the
fpoils of dependent provinces. The bodies of St. Andrew, St. Luke,
and St. Timothy, had repofed, near three hundred years, in the ob-
fcure graves, from whence they were tranfported, in folemn jomp,
to the church of the Apoflles, which the magnificence of Conftantine
had founded on the banks of the Thracian Bofphorus 7*. About fifty
years afterwards, the fame banks were honoured by the prcfence of
Samuel," the judge and prophet of the people of Ifrael. His allies,
depoiited in a golden vafe, and covered with a filken veil, were de-
livered by the bilhops into each others hands. '. The relics of Samuel
were received by the people, with the fame joy and reverence which
they would have fhewn to the living prophet; the highways, from
Paleftine to the gates of Conftantinople, were filled with an uninter-
rupted proceffion ; and the emperor Arcadius himfelf, at the head of
the moft illuftrious members of the clergy and fenate, advanced
to meet his extraordinary gueft, who had always deferved and
claimed the homage of kings 7\ The example of Rome and Con-
ftantinople confirmed the faith and difcipline of the Catholic world.
The honours of the faints and martyrs, after a feeble and ineffectual
murmur of profane reafon 7+, were univerfally eftablifhed ; and in

the

7? Male facit ergo Romanus epifcopus ? nius (Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 60. N° 34.) wifhes
qui, fuper mortuorum hominurn, Petri & to believe, and Tillemont is forced to reject.
Pattli, fecundum nos, OiTa vencianda .... St. Andrew was adopted as the fpiritual fbun-
offert Domino facriflcia, et turaulos eorum, der of Ccnltantinople (Mem. Ecclef. torn. i.
Ghrilti arbitratur altaria. Jerom. torn. ii. p. 317 — 323. 588 — 594.).
adverf. Vigilant, p. 153. »? Jerom (torn. ii. p. 122.) pompouflyde-

71 Jerom (torn. ii. p. 122.) bears witnefs fcribes the tranflation of Samuel, which is
to thefe tranflations, which are neglected by noticed in all the chronicles of the times,
the ecclefiaftical hiftorians. The pafilon of 7* The prefbyter Vigilantius, the proteft- "
St. Andrew at Patrae, is defcribed in an epif- ant of his age, firmly, though ineffecluallv,
tl& from the clergy of Achaia, which Baro- withHood the fuperftition of monks, relics,

faints.

<)6

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXVIII.

General
reflections.

I. Fabulous
martyrs and
relics.

the age of Ambrofe and Jerom, fomething was ftill deemed wanting
to the fanctity of a Chriftian church, till it had been confecrated
by fome portion of holy relics, which fixed and inflamed the devo-
tion of the faithful.

In the long period of twelve hundred years, which elapfed between
the reign of Conftantine and the reformation of Luther, the wor-
fliip of faints and relics corrupted the pure and perfect fimplicity of
the Chriftian model ; and fome fymptoms of degeneracy may be ob-
ferved even in the firft generations which adopted and cherifhed this
pernicious innovation.

I. The fatisfadtory experience, that the relics of faints were more
valuable than gold or precious ftones 75, ftimulated the clergy to
multiply the treafures of the church. Without much regard for
truth or probability, they invented names for fkeletons, and actions
for names. The fame of the apoftles, and of the holy men
who had imitated their virtues, was darkened by religious fiction.
To the invincible band of genuine and primitive martyrs, they
added myriads of imaginary heroes, who had never exifted, except in
the fancy of crafty or credulous legendaries j and there is reafon to
fufpect, that Tours might not be the only diocefe in which the bones
of a malefactor were adored, inftead of thofe of a faint'6. A fuper-
ftitious practice, which tended to increafe the temptations of fraudj

faints, fafts, &c. for which Jerom compares
him to the Hydra, Cerberus, the Centaurs, &c.
and confiders him only as the organ of the
Daemon (torn. ii. p. 120-126.)- Whoever
will perufe the controverfy of St. Jerom and
Vigilantius, and St. Auguftin's account of
the miracles of St. Stephen, may fpeedily
gain fome idea of the fpirit of the Fathers.

75 M. de Beaufobre (Hilt, du Manicheifme>
tem. ii. p- 648.) has applied a worldly fenfe

to the pious obferration of the clergy of Smyr-
na, who carefully prcferved the relics of St.
Po'ycarp the martyr.

16 Martin of Tours (See his life, c. 8. by
Sulpicius Severus) extoned this confeflion
from the mcuth of the dead man. The cf~
ror is allowed to be natural ; the difcovery is
fuppofed to be miraculous. Which of the
two was likely to happen moil frequently ?

an<

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

and credulity, infenfibly extinguifhed the light of hiftory, and of c**i^i?'

reafon, in the Chriftian world. > *

II. But the progrefs of fuperftition would have been much lefs Ir- Miracles,
rapid and victorious, if the faith of the people had not been affifted
by the feafonable aid of vifions and miracles, to afcertain the au-
thenticity and virtue of the mod fufpicious relics. In the reign of
the younger Theodofius, Lucian 77, a prefbyter of Jerufalcm, and
the ecclefiaftical minifter of the village of Caphargamala, about
twenty miles from the city, related a very lingular dream, which, to
remove his doubts, had been repeated on three fucceflive Saturdays.
A venerable figure flood before him, in the filence of the night, with
a long beard, a white robe, and a gold rod ; announced himfelf by
the name of Gamaliel, and revealed to the aftonifhed prefbyter,
that his own corpfe, with the bodies of his fon Abibas, his friend
Nicodemus, and the illuftrious Stephen, the firft martyr of the
Chriftian faith, were fecretly buried in the adjacent field. He added,
with fome impatience, that it was time to releafe himfelf, and his
companions, from their obfeure prifon ; that their appearance would
be falutary to a diftrefTed world ; and that they had made choice of
Lucian to inform the bifhop of Jerufalem of their fituation, and
their wifhes. The doubts and difficulties which ftill retarded this
important difcovery, were fucceffively removed by new vifions : and
the ground was opened by the bifhop, in the prefence of an innu-
merable multitude. The coffins of Gamaliel, of his fon, and of his
friend, were found in regular order ; but when the fourth coffin,
which contained the remains of Stephen, was fhewn to the light, the

77 Lucian compofed in Greek his original
narrative, which has been tranflated by Avi-
tus, and publifhed by Baronius (Annal. Bc-
clef. A. D. 415. N°7 — 16.). The Benedic-
tine editors of St. Auguftin have given (at
the end of the work De Civitr.te Dei) two

Vol. ILL

feveral copies, with mnny various readings.
It is the character of falfehood to be locfe
and inconGAcnt. The moll incredible parts
of the legend are fmoothed and foftencd by
Tillemont (Mem. Ecclef. torn. ii. p, 9,

O earth

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, earth trembled, and an odour, fuch as that of paradife, was fmelt,.

XXVIII.

i -v~-^ which inftantly cured the various difeafes of feventy-three of the
affiftants. The companions of Stephen were left in their peaceful
refidence of Caphargamala : but the relics of the firffc martyr were
tranfported, in folemn procefhon, to a church conftructed in their
honour on Mount Sion ; and the minute particles of thofe relicc, a
drop of blood 78, or the fcrapings of a bone, were acknowledged,
in almoft every province of the Roman world, to pofTefs a divine
and miraculous virtue. The grave and learned Auguftin 79, whofe
understanding fcarcely admits the excufe of credulity, has attefted
the innumerable prodigies which -were performed in Africa, by the
relics of St. Stephen ; and this marvellous narrative is inferted in the
elaborate work of the City of God, which the bifhop of Hippo de-
figned as a. folid and immortal proof of the truth of Chriftianity.
Auguftin folemnly declares, that he has felected thofe miracles only
which were publicly certified by the perfons, who were either the
objects, or the fpectators, of the power of the martyr. Many pro-
digies were omitted, or forgotten ; and Hippo had been lefs favour-
ably treated than the other cities of the province. And yet the
bifhop enumerates above feventy miracles, of which three were re-
furreclions from the dead, in the fpace of two years, and within the
limits of his own diocefe 80. If we enlarge our view to all the
diocefes, and all the faints, of the Chriftian world, it will not be

78 A phial of St. Stephen's blood was an- the merit of a magnificent defign, vigoroufly,.
nually liquefied at Naples, till he was fup'er- and not unfkilfully, executed.

feded by St. Januarius (Ruinart. Hift. Perfe- 80 See Auguftin de Civitat. Dei, I. xxii. c.

cut. Vandal, p. 529.). 22. and the Appendix, which contains two

79 Auguftin compofed the two-and-twenty books of St. Stephen's miracles, by Evodius,
books de CivitateDei in the fpace of thirteen bifhop of Uzalis. Freculphus (apud Bafnager
years, A. 0.413-426 (Tillemont, Mem. Hift. des Juifs,-torn. viii. p. 1-49.) has preferved
Ecclef. torn. xiv. p. 608, &c). His learning a Gallic or Spanifh proverb, " Whoever p re-
is too often borro.ved, and his arguments are " tends to have read all the miracles of St.
too ofcen his own ; but the whole work claims " " Stephen, he lies," 1

eafy

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

eafy to calculate the fables, and the errors, which ifTued from this c ^ A v

A. V 111 »

inexhauftible fource. But we may. furely be allowed to obferve, < — t

that a miracle, in that age of fuperftition and credulity, loft its name
and its merit, fince it could fcarcely be confidered as a deviation
from the ordinary, and eftablifhed, laws of nature.

III. The innumerable miracles, of which the tombs of the mar- ni. Revival

of polythe-

tyrs were the perpetual theatre, revealed to the pious believer the ifm.
actual ftate and conftitution of the invilible world ; and his religious
fpeculations ap'peared to be founded on the firm bafis of fact and
€xperience. Whatever might be the condition of vulgar fouls, in the
long interval between the dilTolution and the refurrection of their
bodies, it was evident that the fuperior fpirits of the faints and mar-
tyrs did not confume that portion of their exiftence in filent and
inglorious fleep 8\ It was evident (without prefuming to determine
the place of their habitation, or the nature of their felicity) that they
enjoyed the lively and active confcioufnefs of their happinefs, their
virtue, and their powers j and that they had already fecured the pof«
femon of their eternal reward. The enlargement of their intellec-
tual faculties, furpafled the meafure of the human imagination ; fince
it was proved by experience, that they were capable of hearing and
underftanding the various petitions of their numerous votaries ; who,
in the fame moment of time, but in the moft diftant parts of the
world, invoked the name and alTiftance of Stephen or of Martin 1 .

81 Burnet (de Statu Mortuorum, p. 56— ubi voluerunt adefle prasfentes. But Jerom

84.) colle&s the opinions of the Fathers, as (torn. ii. p. 122.) fternly refutes this blafphe-

far as they aflert the fleep, or repofe, of hu- my. Tu Deo leges pones ? Tu apoftolis

man fouls till the day of judgment. He vincula injicies, ut ufque ad diem judicii

afterwards expofes (p. 91, &c.) the inconve- 'teneantur cuftodia, nec fint cum Domino fuo ;

niencies which muft arife, if they poflefled a de quibus fcriptum eft, Sequuntur Agnum

more aftive and fenfible exiftence. , quocunque vadit. Si Agnus ubique, ergo,

8* Vigilantius placed the fouls of the pro- et hi, qui cum Agno funt, ubique efle cre-

phets and martyrs, either in the bolom of dendi funt. Et cum diabolus et dasmones

Abraham (in loco refrigerii), or elfe under toto vagentur in orbe, &c.
the altar of God. Necpofle fuis tuinulis et

O 2 The

THE DECLINE AND FALL

The confidence of their petitioners was founded on the perfuafion,.
that the faints, who reigned with Chrift, caft an eye of pity upon
earth ; that they were warmly interefted in the profperity of the
Catholic church ; and that the individuals, who imitated the example
of their faith and piety, were the peculiar and favourite objects of
their moft tender regard. Sometimes, indeed, their friendmip might
be influenced by confiderations of a lefs exalted kind : they viewed,
with partial affection, the places which had been confecrated by their
birth, their refidence, their death, their burial, or the poffeffion of
their relics. The meaner paliions of pride, avarice, and revenge,
may be deemed unworthy of a celcftial breaft ; yet the faints them-
felves condefcended to teftify their grateful approbation of the libe-
rality of their votaries : and the fharpeft bolts of punifhment were
hurled againft thofe impious wretches, who violated their magnificent
lhrines, or difbelieved their fupernatural power83. Atrocious, in-
deed, muft have been the guilt, and ftrangs would have been the
fcepticifm, of thofe men, if they had obftinately refilled the proofs of
a divine agency, which the elements, the whole range of the animal
creation, and even the fubtle and invifible operations of the human
mind, were compelled to obey 8*. The immediate, and almorr. in—
ftantaneous, effects, that were fuppofed to follow the prayer, or the
offence, fatisfied the Chriftians, of the ample meafure of favour and
authority, which the faints enjoyed in the prefence of the Supreme
God ; and it feemed almoft fuperfluous to enquire, whether they
were continually obliged to intercede before the throne of grace ; or
whether they might not be permitted to exercife, according to the

83 Fleury, Difcours fur l'Hift. Eccleliaf- ing the obftinate infidels to llarve among
ji^ue, iii. p. 80. the rocks, &c. See the original letter of

84 At Minorca, the relics of St. Stephen Severus bi(hop of Minorca (ad calcem St.
converted, in eight days, 540 Jews; with Auguftin. de Civ. Dei), and the judicious
the help, indeed, of fome wholefome feve- remarks of Bafnage (torn. viii. p. 245 — 251.).
jities, fuch as burning the fynagogue, driv-

di&ates

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

dictates of their benevolence and jufticc, the delegated powers of their ^^viil.*
fubordinate miniftry. The imagination, which had been raifed by v— .*
a painful effort to the contemplation and worfhip of the Univerfal
Caufe, eagerly embraced fuch inferior objects of adoration, as were
more proportioned to its grofs conceptions and imperfect faculties.
The fublime and fimple theology of the primitive Chriftians was
gradually corrupted ; and the monarchy of heaven, already clouded
by metaphyseal fubtleties, was degraded by the introduction of a
popular mythology, which tended to reftore the reign of poiy-
thcifm S3.

IV. As the objects of religion were gradually reduced to the IV. Intro-
ftandard of the imagination, the rites and ceremonies were introduced Pagan^ere-
that feemed moft powerfully to affect: the fenfes of the vulgar. If, m '
in the beginning of the fifth century8", Tertullian, orLactantius", had
been fuddenly raifed from the dead, to amft at the feftival of fbme
popular faint, or martyr 83 ; they would have gazed with aftonim-
ment, and indignation, on the profane fpectacle, which had fuc-
ceeded to the pure and fpiritual worfhip of a Chriftian congregation.
As foon as the doors of the church were thrown open, they mud
have been offended by the fmoke of incenfe, the perfume of
flowers, and the glare of lamps and tapers, which diffufed, at noon-
day, a gawdy, Superfluous, and, in their opinion, a facrilegious

85 Mr. Hume (Efl'ays, vol. ii. p. 434.) ob- Tertullian, La&antius, Arnobius, &c. is fo
ferves, like a philofopher, the natural flux extremely pure and fpiritual, that their decl.i-
and reflux of polytheifm and theifm. mations againft the Pagan, fometimes glance

86 D'Aubigne (See his own Memoires, p. againft the Jewiih, ceremonies.

156 — 160.) frankly offered, with the confent 83 Fauftus theManichxan accufes the Ca-

of the Huguenot minifters, to allow the firft tholics of idolatry. Vertitis idola in mar-

400 years as the rule of faith. The cardinal tyres. . . quos votis fimilibus colitis. M.

du Perron haggled for forty years more, de Beaufobre (Hift. Critique duManicheiime,

which were indifcreetly given. Yet neither torn. ii. p. 629 — 700.), a Proteftant, but a

party would have found their account in this philofopher, has reprefented, with candour

foolifti bargain. and learning, the introduction of Cbrijliat.

97 The worlhip pradtifed and inculcated by idolatry in the fourth and fifth centuries.

light,

102

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXVIII.

light. If they approached the baluftrade of the altar, they made
their way through the proftrate crowd, confifting, for the mofl
part, of ftrangers and pilgrims, who refortcd to the city on the vigil
of the feaft ; and who already felt the ftrong intoxication of fana-
ticifm, and, perhaps, of wine. Their devout kiffes were imprinted
on the walls and pavement of the facred edifice ; and their fervent
prayers were directed, whatever might be the language of their
church, to the bones, the blood, or the afhes of the faint, which
were ufually concealed, by a linen or filken veil, from the eyes of
the vulgar. The Chriftians frequented the tombs of the martyrs, in
the hope of obtaining, from their powerful intercefhon, every fort
of fpiritual, but more efpecially of temporal, blemngs. They jm- .
plored the prefervation of their health, or the cure of their infirmi-
ties ; the fruitfulnefs of their barren wives, or the fafety and happi-
nefs of their children. Whenever they undertook any diftant or
dangerous journey, they requefted, that the holy martyrs would be
their guides and prote&ors on the road ; and if they returned, with-
out having experienced any misfortune, they again haftened to the
tombs of the martyrs, to celebrate, with grateful thankfgivings, their
obligations to the memory and relics of thofe heavenly patrons. The
walls were hung round with fymbols of the favours, which they had
received ; eyes, and hands, and feet, of gold and filver : and edi-
fying pictures, which could not long efcape the abufe of indifcreet
or idolatrous devotion, reprefented the image, the attributes, and
the miracles of the tutelar faint. 'The fame uniform original fpirit
of fuperftition might fuggeft, in the mofl; diftant ages and countries,
the fame methods of deceiving the credulity, and of affecting the
fenfes of mankind 89 ; but it muft ingenuoufly be confeffed, that the

89 The refemblance of fuperftition, which this idea, which he diftorts, by rendering it

■could not be imitated, mifht be traced from too general and abfolute (Divine Legation,

Japan to Mexico. Warburton has feized vol.iv. p. 126, &c).

2 miniflers

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

minifters of the Catholic church imitated the profane model, which cvHv4rTp*
they were impatient to deftroy. The mod refpectable bifhops had < — - v — ->
perfuaded themfelves, that the ignorant ruftics would more cheerfully
renounce the fuperftitions of Paganifm, if they found fome refem-
blance, fome compenfation, in the bofom of Chriftianity. The reli-
gion of Confiantine atchieved, in lefs than a century, the final con-
queft of the Roman empire : but the victors themfelves were infen-
libly fubduecf by the arts of their vanquifhed rivals 9°.

90 The imitation of Paganifm is the fubjedt him to connect (vol. iii. p. 120 — 132.) the
of Dr. Middleton's agreeable letter from hiftory of the two religions ; and to provs-
Rome. Warburton's animadverfions obliged the antiquity of the Chriftian copy.

CHAP.

J 04-

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. XXIX.

Final Divifton of the Roman Empire between the Sons
of Theodofius. — Reign of Arcadius and Honor ius. —
Adminif ration of Rufinus and Stilicho* — Revolt and
Defeat of Cildo in Africa.

C H A P.

XXIX.

Divifion of
the empire
between Ar-
cadius and
Honorius,
A. D. 395,
January 17.

THE genius of Rome expired with Theodofms ; the laft of
the fucceflbrs of Auguftus and Conftantine, who appeared in the
field at the head of their armies, and whofe authority was univerfally
acknowledged throughout the whole extent of the empire. The
memory of his virtues ftill continued, however, to protect the
feeble and inexperienced youth of his two fons. After the death of
their father, Arcadius and Honorius were faluted, by the unanimous
confent of mankind, as the lawful emperors of the Eaft, and of the
Weft ; and the oath of fidelity was eagerly taken by every order of
the Hate ; the fenates of old and new Rome, the clergy, the magis-
trates, the foldiers, and the people. Arcadius, who then was about
eighteen years of age, was born in Spain, in the humble habitation
of a private family. But he received a princely education in the
palace of Gonftantinople ; and his inglorious life was ' fpent in that
peaceful and fplendid feat of royalty, from whence he appeared to
reign over the provinces of Thrace, Afia Minor, Syria, and Egypt,
from the Lower Danube to the confines of Perfia and ^Ethiopia. His
younger brother, Honorius, affumed, in the eleventh year -of his

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

age, the nominal government of Italy, Africa, Gaul, Spain, and c^l* p*
Britain ; and the troops, which guarded the frontiers of his kingdom, ■• -.--*_?
were oppofed, on one fide, to the Caledonians, and on the other to
the Moors. The great and martial prefecture of Illyricum was
divided between the two princes : the defence and poffemon of the
provinces of Noricum, Pannonia, and Dalmatia, ftill belonged to
the weftern empire ; but the two large diocefes of Dacia and Ma-
cedonia, which Gratian had entrufted to the valour of Theodofius,
were for ever united to the empire of the Eaft. The boundary in
Europe was not very different from the line which now feparates the
Germans and the Turks ; and the refpedtive advantages of territory,
riches, populoumefs, and military ftrength, were fairly balanced and
compenfated, in this final and permanent divifion of the Roman
empire. The hereditary fceptre of the fons of Theodofius appeared
to be the gift of nature, and of their father ; the generals and mi-
nifters had been accuftomed to adore the majefty of the royal in-
fants ; and the army and people were not admonimed of their rights,
and of their power, by the dangerous example of a recent election.
The gradual difcovery of the weaknefs of Arcadius and Honorius,
and the repeated calamities of their reign, were not fufficient to ob-
literate the deep and early impreflions of loyalty. The fubjects
of Rome, who ftill reverenced the perfons, or rather the names,
•of their fovereigns, beheld, with equal abhorrence, the rebels
who oppofed, and the minifters who abufed, the authority of the
throne.

Theodofius had tarniihed the glory of his reign by the elevation Charafter

- . . . r . ., -, ,. and admini-

of Rufinus ; an odious favourite, who, in an age or civil and reli- ftrarion of
gious faction, has deferved, from every party, the imputation of a"d.U386—
eveiy crime. The ftrong impulfe of ambition and avarice 1 had 395-

urged

1 Aletto, envious of the public felicity, commends her pupil Rufinus, and excites
convenes an infernal fynod. Megsra re- him to deeds of mifchief, &c. But there is
Vol. III. P . M

ic6

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c^L4rp< urged Rufinus to abandon his native country, an obfcure corner of

XXIX.

« m ' Gaul *, to advance his fortune in the capital of the Eaft : the talent

of bold and ready elocution 3 qualified him to fucceed in the lu-
crative profeffion of the law; and his fucccfs in that profemon was
a regular ftep to the moft honourable and important employments of
the ftate. He was raifed, by juft degrees, to the ftation of mafter
of the offices. In the exercife of his various functions, fo ef-
fentially connected with the whole fyftem of civil government, he
acquired the confidence of a monarch, who foon difcovered his dili-
gence and capacity in bufinefs, and who long remained ignorant of
the pride, the malice, and the covetoufnefs of his difpofition. Thefe
vices were concealed beneath the mafk of profound diffimulation 4 ;
his paflions were fubfervient only to the paffions of his mafter : yet,
in the horrid maffacre of Theffalonica, the cruel Rufinus inflamed
the fury, without imitating the repentance, of Theodofius. The
minifter, who viewed with proud indifference the reft of mankind,
never forgave the appearance of an injury ; and his perfonal ene-
mies had forfeited, in his opinion, the merit of all public Services.
Promotus, the mafter-general of the infantry, had faved the empire
from the invafion of the Oftrogoths; but he indignantly fupported
the pre-eminence of a rival, whofe character and profeflion he de-
fpifed ; and, in the midft of a public council, the impatient foldier
was provoked to chaftife with a blow the indecent pride of the fa-
vourite. This act of violence was reprefented to the emperor as an
infult, which it was incumbent on bis dignity to relent. The dis-
grace and exile of Promotus were Signified by a peremptory order,

as much difference between Claudian's fury nia, now a fmall village of Gafcony (d'An-

and that of Virgil, as between the characters ville, Notice de l'Ancienne Gaule, p. 289.).

cf Turnus and Rufinus. 3 Philoitorgius, 1. xi. c. 3. with Godefroy's

1 It is evident (Tiliemont, Hilt, des Emp. Di/Tert. p. 440.

torn. v. p. 770. )> though de Marca is afhamed 4 A paffage of Suidas is expreifive of his

of his countryman, that Rufinus was born profound diflimulatioji i fHadwyrvfM)* a»6rW7rc{ xai

at Elufa, the metropolis of Novempopula- x^iki;.

6 to

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

to repair, without delay, to a military ftation on the banks of the
Danube: and the death of that general (though he was flain in a
fkirmifh with the Barbarians) was imputed to the perfidious arts of
Rufinus s. The facrifice of an hero gratified his revenge ; the
honours of the confulfhip elated his vanity; but his power was ftill
imperfect and precarious, as long as the important pofts of prsefect
of the Eaft, and of prasfect of Conftantinople, were filled by Ta-
tian 6, and his fon Proculus ; whofe united authority balanced, for
fome time, the ambition and favour of the mafter of the offices. The
two prefects were accufed of rapine and corruption in the admini-
ftration of the laws and finances. For the trial of thefe illuf-
trious offenders, the emperor conftituted a fpecial commifiion : feve-
ral judges were named to fhare the guilt and reproach of injuftice ;
but the right of pronouncing fentence was referved to the prefident
alone, and that prefident was Rufinus himfelf. The father, ftripped
of the prefecture of the Eaft, was thrown into a dungeon; but the-
fon, confcious that few minifters can be found innocent, where an ene-
my is their judge, had fecretly efcaped ; and Rufinus muft have been
fatisfied with the leaft obnoxious victim, if defpotifm had not conde-
fcended to employ the bafeft and moft ungenerous artifice. The
profecution was conducted with an appearance of equity and mo-
deration, which flattered Tatian with the hope of a favourable event ;
his confidence was fortified by the folemn afftirances, and perfidious
oaths, of the prefident, who prefumed to interpofe the facred name
■of Theodofms himfelf ; and the unhappy father was at laft perfuaded
to recal, by a private letter, the fugitive Proculus. He was in-

s Zofimus, 1. iv. p. 272, 273. of opprefllng the Curia. The connexion of

6 Zofimus, who defcribes the fall of Ta- Tatian with the Arians, while he was prsefeft

tian and his fon (1. iv. p. 273, 274.), aflerts of Egypt (A. D. 373.), inclines Tillemont

their innocence: and even bis teltimony may to believe that he was guilty of every crime

outweigh the charges of their enemies (Cod. (Hilt, des Emp. torn. v. p. 360. Mem, Eccleff

Theodof. iv. p.tom. 489.), who acctife them torn. vi. p. 589.).

P 2 ftantly

ioS

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, ftantlv feized, examined, condemned, and beheaded, in one of the
XXIX.

! 1 — \x> fuburbs of Conftantinople, with a precipitation which difappointed

the clemency of the emperor. Without refpe&ing the misfortunes
of a confular fenator, the cruel judges of Tatian compelled him to
behold the execution of his fon : the fatal cord was fattened round
his own neck ; but in the moment when he expected, and perhaps
defired, the relief of a fpeedy death, he was permitted to confume
the miferable remnant of his old age in poverty and exile \ The
punifliment of the two prefects might, perhaps, be excufed by the
exceptionable parts of their own conduct ; the enmity of Rufinus
might be palliated by the jealous and unfociable nature of ambition.
But he indulged a fpirit of revenge, equally repugnant to prudence
and to juftice, when he degraded their native country of Lycia, from
the rank of Roman provinces ; ftigmatifed a guiltlefs people with a
mark of ignominy ; and declared, that the countrymen of Tatian
and Proculus mould for ever remain incapable of holding any em-
ployment of honour or advantage, under the Imperial government \
The new prsefect of the Eaft (for Rufinus inftantly fucceeded to
the vacant honours of his adverfary) was not diverted, however, by
the raoft criminal purfuits, from the performance of the religious
duties, which in that age were confidered as the moft eflential to
falvation. In the fuburb of Chalcedon, furnamed the Oak, he had
built a magnificent villa ; to which he devoutly added a ftately
church, confecrated to the apoftles St. Peter and St. Paul, and con-

7 Juvenum rorantia colla by Arcadius (A.D. 396. ), in the Theodofiatv

Ante patrum vultus ftricla cecidere fecuri. Code, I. ix. tit. xxxviii. leg. 9. The fenfer

Ibat grandaevus nato moriente fuperftes as it is explained by Claudian (in Rufin. i.

Poft trabeas exful. . 234O ar)d Godefroy (torn. iii. p. 279.), is

In Rufin. i. 248. perfectly clear.

The fails of Zofimus explain the allufions Exfcindere cives

of Claudian ; but his clafiic interpreters were Funditus ; et nomen genu's delere laborat.

ignorant of the fourth century. The fatal The fcruples of Pagi and Tillemont can

cord, I found, with the help of Tillemont, arife only from their zeal for the glory of

in a fermon of St. Afterius of Amafea. Theodofius.

8 This odious law is recited, and repealed,

tinually

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

tinually fandtified by the prayers, and pennance, of a regular fociety CHAP.

XXIX*

of monks. A numerous, and almoft general, fynod of the bifhops of > M — _y

the eaftern empire was fummoned to celebrate, at the fame time, the
dedication of the church, and the baptifm of the founder. This double
ceremony was performed with extraordinary pomp ; and when Ru-
finus was purified, in the holy font, from all the fins that he had
hitherto committed, a venerable hermit of Egypt rafhly propofed
himfelf as the fppnfor of a proud and ambitious ftatefman 9.

The character of Theodofms impofed on his minifter the talk of He opprefle*
hypocrify, which difguifed, and fometimes rehVained, the abufe of a! IK 395,
power ; and Rufinus was apprehenfive of difturbing the indolent
flumber of a prince, ftill capable of exerting the abilities, and the
virtue, which had raifed him to the throne "°. But the abfence,
and, foon afterwards, the death, of the emperor, confirmed the ab-
folute authority of Rufinus over the perfon and dominions of Arca-
dius ; a feeble youth, whom the imperious prefect confidered as his
pupil, rather than his fovereign. Regardlefs of the public opinion,
he indulged his pamons without remorfe, and without refiftance ;
and his malignant and rapacious fpirit rejected every paffion that
might have contributed to his own glory, or the happinefs of
the people. His avarice", which feems to have prevailed, in his

9 Ammonius . . . Rufinum propriis ma- wilhes, of the prince, or his minilters. This,
nibus fufcepit facro fonte mundatum. See I am afraid, is a juft, though mortifying,
Rofweyde's VitsPatrum, p. 947. Sozomcn canon of criticifm.

(1. viii. c. 17.) mentions the church and mo- lt

nailery ; and Tillemont (Mem. Ecclef. torn. _ , ~ , fiuaibu.s aun

N 1 1 • r j • , • , Ci Explen llle calor nequit

ix. p. 593.) records this iynod, in which bt. r *

Gregory of NyfTa performed a confpicuous " ~„

p,rtto Congelta: cumulantur opes; orbifque

10 Montefquieu (Efprit des Loix, L xii. . . aPinas

\ . V u 1 fmi i.f Accipit una domus

c. 12.) praues one or tne laws or i neodolius, r

addrefled to the praefett Rufinus (1. ix. tit. iv. This character (Claudian. in Rufin. i. 184 —

leg. unic), to difcourage the profecution of 220.) is confirmed by Jerom, a difinterefted

treafonable, or facrilegious, words. A ty- witnefs (dedecus infatiabilis avaritia;, torn. i.

rannical ftatute always proves the exiftence of ad Heliodor. p. 26.), by Zofimus (1. v.

tyranny: but a laudable edict may only con- P- 286.), and by Suidas, who copied the

tain the fpecious profcflions, or inefFedaal hiftory of Eunapius.

corrupt

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. corruDt mind, over every other fentiment, attracted the wealth of the

.XXIX. 1 ' J

«— — v ' Eaft, by the various arts of partial, and general, extortion ; oppref-

fivc taxes, fcandalous bribery, immoderate fines, unjuft conrifcations,
forced or ficlitious teftaments, by which the tyrant defpoiled of their
lawful inheritance the children of ftrangers, or enemies ; and the
public fale of juftice, as well as of favour, which he inflituted in the
palace of Conftantinople. The ambitious candidate eagerly folicited,
at the expence of the faireft part of his patrimony, the honours and
emoluments of fome provincial government : the lives and fortunes
of the unhappy people were abandoned to the moft liberal purchafer j
and the public difcontent was fometimes appeafed by the facrifice of
an unpopular criminal, whofe punifhment was profitable only to the
prefect of the Eaft, his accomplice and his judge. If avarice were
not the blindeft of the human paffions, the motives of Rufinus might
excite our curiofity ; and we might be tempted to inquire, with what
view he violated every principle of humanity and juftice, to accu-
mulate thofe immenfe treafures, which he could not fpend without
folly, nor poifefs without danger. Perhaps he vainly imagined, that
he laboured for the intereft of an only daughter, on whom he in-
tended to bellow his royal pupil, and the auguft rank of Emprefs of
the Eaft. Perhaps he deceived himfelf by the opinion, that his ava-
rice was the inftrument of his ambition. He afpired to place his
fortune on a fecure and independent bafis, which Ihould no longer
depend on the caprice of the young emperor ; yet he neglected to
conciliate the hearts of the foldiers and people, by the liberal diftri-
bution of thofe riches, which he had acquired with fo much toil, and
with fo much guilt. The extreme parfimony of Rufinus left him
only the reproach, and envy, of ill-gotten wealth ; his dependents
-ferved him without attachment ; the univerfal hatred of mankind
was reprefied only by the influence of fervile fear. The fate of Lu-
cian proclaimed to the Eaft, that the prefect, whofe induftry was

much

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

much abated in the difpatch of ordinary bufinefs, was active and c H A P.

• <••• • r r XXIX.

indefatigable in the purfuit of revenge. Lucian, the fon of the prae- < » —

feci Florentius, the oppreSTor of Gaul, and the enemy of Julian, had
employed a confiderable part of his inheritance, the fruit of rapine
and corruption, to purchafe the friendship of Rufinus, and the high
office of Count of the Eaft. But the new magistrate imprudently
departed from the maxims of the court, and of the times ; difgraced
his benefactor, by the contraft of a virtuous and temperate admini-
stration ; and prefumed to refufe an act of injustice, which might
have tended to the profit of the emperor's uncle. Arcadius was eafily
perfuaded to refent the fuppofed infult ; and the prefect of the Eaft
refolved to execute in perfon the cruel vengeance, which he medi-
tated againft this ungrateful delegate of his power. He performed
with inceSTant fpeed the journey of feven or eight hundred miles,
from Constantinople to Antioch, entered the capital of Syria at the
dead of night, and fpread univerfal confirmation among a people,
ignorant of his defign, but not ignorant of his character. The
count of the fifteen provinces of the Eaft was dragged, like the vileft
malefactor, before the arbitrary tribunal of Rufinus. Notwithstand-
ing the cleareft evidence of his integrity, which was not impeached
even by the voice of an accufer, Lucian was condemned, aim oft
without a trial, to Suffer a cruel and ignominious puniftiment. The
> . ministers of the tyrant, by the order, and in the prefence, of their
mafter, beat him on the neck with leather thongs, armed at the
extremities with lead ; and when he. fainted under the violence of
the pain, he was removed in a clofe litter, to conceal his dying
agonies from the eyes of the indignant city. No fooner had Rufinus
perpetrated this inhuman act, the fole object of his expedition, than
he returned, amidft the deep, and filent, curfes of a trembling people,
from Antioch to Constantinople ; and his diligence was accelerated,

ll2 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CXXIXP' ky t^ie hope of accomplifhing, without delay, the nuptials of his
< , ' daugliter with the emperor of the Eaft

He is difap- But Rufinus foon experienced, that a prudent minifter mould con-
th^marriage ftantly fecure his royal captive by the ftrong, though invifible, chain
of Arcadius, Q£ jjabit . ancj tjiat tiie merit, and much more eafily the favour, of
April 27. the abfent, are obliterated in a fhort time from the mind of a
weak and capricious fovereign. While the prsefe£t flitiated his re-
venge at Antioch, a fecret confpiracy of the favourite eunuchs,
directed by the great chamberlain Eutropius, undermined his
power in the palace of Conftantinople. They difcovered that
Arcadius was not inclined to love the daughter of Rufinus, who
had been chofen, without his confent, for his bride ; and they con-
trived to fubftitute in her place the fair Eudoxia, the daughter of
Bauto ,3, a general of the Franks in the fervice of Rome ; and who
was educated, fince the death of her father, in the family of the fons
of Promotus. The young emperor, whofe chaflity had been ftri&ly
guarded by the pious care of his tutor Arfenius ,+, eagerly liftened to
the artful and flattering defcriptions of the charms of Eudoxia : he
gazed with impatient ardour on her picture, and he underftood the
necefhty of concealing his amorous defigns from the knowledge of a
minifter, who was fo deeply interefted to oppofe the confummation
of his happinefs. Soon after the return of Rufinus, the approaching
ceremony of the royal nuptials was announced to the people of Con-

11 ., Caetera fegnis ; Frank. See Tilleroont, Hift. des Empe-

Ad facinus velox; penitus regione re- reurs, torn. v. p. 771.

motas 14 Arfenius efcaped from the pnlare of

Impiger ire vias. Conftantinople, and palled fifty-five years in

_ ,. _ . . rigid pennance in the monasteries of Egypt.

This allufion of Claudian (in Rutin. 1. 241.) * , M v , r .

.... . \ . • , See Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. xiv.

is again explained by the circumltantial nar- , , , „ . r

. r rJ r ,, „~ n v P- 676—702.; and Fleury, Hift. Ecclef.

rative of Zofimus (1. v. p. 288, 280.). 4 u » .1. 1 c

v r ' . y ' torn. v. p. 1, &c. : but the latter, for want

13 Zofimus (1. iv. p. 243.) praifes the va- of authentic materials, has given too much .

lour, prudence, and integrity, of Bauto the credit to the legend of Metaphraftes.

ftanrinople,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

ftantinople, who prepared to celebrate, with falfe and hollow accla-
mations, the fortune of his daughter. A fplendid train of eunuchs
and officers hTued, in hymeneal pomp, from the gates of the palace;
hearing aloft the diadem, the robes, and the ineftimable ornaments,
of the future emprefs. The folemn proceffion pafTed through the
ftreets of the city, which were adorned with garlands, and filled with
fpectators ; but, when it reached the houfe of the fons of Promotus,
the principal eunuch refpectfully entered the manfion, inverted the
fair Eudoxia with the Imperial robes, and conducted her in triumph
to the palace and bed of Arcadius I5. The fecrecy, and fuccefs, with
which this confpiracy againft Rufinus had been conducted, imprinted
a mark of indelible ridicule on the character of a minifter, who had
fufFered himfelf to be deceived, in a port where the arts of deceit and
diffimulation conftitute the moft diftinguifhed merit. He confidered,
with a mixture of indignation and fear, the victory of an afpiring
eunuch, who had fecretly captivated the favour of his fovereign ;
and the difgrace of his daughter, whofe intereft was infeparably con-
nected with his own, wounded the tendernefs, or, at leaft, the pride,
of Rufinus. At the moment when he flattered himfelf that he mould
•become the father of a line of kings, a foreign maid, who had been
educated in the houfe of his implacable enemies, was introduced into
the Imperial bed ; and Eudoxia foon difplayed a fuperiority of lenfe
and fpirit, to improve the afcendant which her beauty mull acquire
over the mind of a fond and youthful hufband. The emperor would
foon be inftructed to hate, to fear, and to deftroy, the powerful fub-
ject, whom he had injured ; and the confeioufnefs of guilt deprived
Rufinus of every hope, either of fafety or comfort, in the retirement
of a private life. But he ftill pGfTefied the moft effectual means of

15 This ftory (Zofimus, 1. v. p. 290) .forcibly conduced from the houfe of her pa-
proves that the hymeneal rites of antiquity rents to that of her hufband. Our form cf
were ftill praftifed, without idolatry, by the marriage requires, with lefs delicacy, the
Chriftians of the Eaft ; and the bride was exprefs and public confent of a virgin.

Vol. Ill, Q_ defending

n4 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, defending his dignity, and perhaps of opprefling his enemies. TIte

v— v ' prcefect Hill exerciled an uncontronled authority over the civil and

military government of the Eaft : and his treasures, if he could refolve
to life them, might be employed to procure proper inftruments, for
the execution of the blacked defigns, that pride, ambition, and re-
venge, could fuggeft to a defperate ftatefman. The character of
Rufmus feemed to juftify the accufations, that he confpired againft
the perfon of his fovereign, to feat himfelf on the vacant throne ; and
rthat he had fecretly invited the Huns, and the Goths, to invade tlic
provinces of the empire, and to increafe the public coniufion. The
fubtle prefect, whofe life had been fpent in the intrigues of the pa-
lace, oppofed, with equal arms, the artful meafures of the eunuch
Eutropius ; but the timid foul, of Rufinus was aftonifhed by the
hoftile approach of a more formidable rival, of the great Stilicho,
the general, or rather the mafter, of the empire of the Weft ,6.
Charaaerof The celeftial gift, which Achilles obtained, and Alexander en—
minifler, and vied, of a poet worthy to celebrate tlie actions of heroes, has been-
fhe Weitcrn enjoyed by Stilicho, in a much, higher degree than might have been,
empu-e. expected from the declining ftate of genius, and of art. The mufe
of Claudian ,7, devoted to his fervice,. was always prepared to fiig--
matife his adverfaries, Rufinus, or Eutropius, with eternal infamy j,
or to paint, in the mod fplendid colours, the victories, and virtues, .
of a powerful benefactor. In the review of a period indifferently
fupplied with authentic materials, we cannot refufe to illuftrate the
annals of Honorius, from the invectives, or the panegyrics, of a
contemporary writer; but as Claudian appears to have indulged the
molt ample privilege of a poet, and a courtier, fome criticifm will:

16 Zofimus (1. v. p. 290.), Orofius (I. vii. 17 Stilicho, dire£Uy, or indiretfly, is the
c. 37.), and the Chronicle of Marcellinus. perpetual theme of Claudian. The youth,
Claudian (in Rufin. ii. 7 — ico.) paints, in and private life of the hero, are vaguely ex-
lively colours, the diilrefs and guilt of the prefled in the poem on his firlt confullhip,
prcfeft. 35 — 140.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

"be requifite to tranflate the language of fiction, or exaggeration, into
the truth and fimplicity of hiftoric profe. His filence concerning the
family of Stilicho may be admitted as a proof, that his patron was
neither able, nor defirous, to hoaft of a long ferics of ilhiftrious pro-
genitors ; and the flight mention of his father, an officer of Barba-
rian cavalry, in the fervice of Valens, feems to countenance the
aflfertion, that the general, who fo long commanded the armies of
Rome, was defcended from the lavage and perfidious race of the
Vandals ,s. If Stilicho had not pofTefled the external advantages d§
ftrength and ftature, the raoft flattering bard, in the prefence of fo
many thoufand fpectators, would have hefitated to affirm, that he
furpafled the meafure of the demi-gods of antiquity ; and, that
whenever he moved, with lofty- fteps, through the ftreets of the ca-
pital, the aftonifhed crowd made room for the ftranger, who difplayed,
in a private condition, the awful majefliy of a hero. From his earliefi
youth he embraced the profeffion of arms ; his prudence and valour
were foon diftinguifhed in the field ; the horfemen and archers of
the Eaft admired his fuperior dexterity ; and in each degree of his
military promotions, the public judgment always prevented and ap-
proved the choice of the fovereign. He was named by Theodofius,
to ratify a folemn treaty with the monarch of Perfia : he fupported,
during that important embafly, the dignity of the Roman name ;
and after his return to Conftantinople, his merit was rewarded by
an intimate and honourable alliance with the Imperial family. Theo-
dofius had been prompted, by a pious motive of fraternal affection,
to adopt, for his own, the daughter of his brother Honorius ; the
beauty and accomplishments of Serena 19 were univerfally admired

J8 Vandalorum, imbellis, avarae, perfidae, of Serena. That favourite niece of Theo-

et dolofx, gentis, genere editus. Orofius, dolius was born, as well as her filler Therman-

1. vii. c. 38. Jerom (tom. i. ad Gerontiam, tia, in Spain ; from whence, in their earlieft

p. 93.) calls him a Semi-Barbarian. youth, they were honourably conducted to

19 Claudian, in an imperfect poem, has the palace of Conftantinople.
-drawn a fair, perhaps a flattering, portrait

Q^2 by

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Cxxix P' ky t^ie obfequious court ; and Stilicho obtained the preference over a

\ t. 1 croud of rivals, who ambitioufly difputed the hand of the princefs,

and the favour of her adoptive father20. The aflurance that the
hufband of Serena would be faithful to the throne, which he was
permitted to approach, engaged the emperor to exalt the fortunes,
and to employ the abilities, of the fagacious and intrepid Stilicho.
He rofe through the fucceffive fteps of mafter of the horfe, and count
of the domeflics, to the fupreme rank of mafter-general of all the

His military

command. cavalry and infantry of the Roman, or at leaft of the Weftern, em-
A. D. 385— phe " ; and his enemies confefTed, that he invariably difdained to
4°8, barter for gold the rewards of merit, or to defraud the foldiers of the

pay and gratifications, which they ■ deferved, or claimed, from the
liberality of the ftate ". The valour and conduct which he after-
wards difplaycd, in the defence of Italy, a gain ft the arms of Alaric
and Radagaifus, may juftify the fame of his early achieve-
ments : and in an age lefs attentive to the laws of honour, or
of pride, the Roman generals might yield the pre-eminence of
rank, to the afcendant of fuperior genius 2\ He lamented, and re-
venged, the murder of Promotus, his rival and his friend ; and the
maffacre of many thoufands of the flying Baftarnas is reprefented by the
poet, as a bloody facrifice, which the Roman Achilles offered to the
manes of another Patroclus. The virtues and victories of Stilicho

-° Some doubt may be entertained, whe- i Conf. Stilich. ii. 113.) difplay bis genius:
ther this adoption was legal, or only meta- but the integrity of Stilicho (in the military
phorical (See Ducange, Fam. Byzant. p. adminiftration) is much more firmly eftablilh-
75.). An old infeription gives Stilicho the ed by the unwilling evidence of Zofimus (1.
lingular title of Pro-gener Divi Tbeodojti. v. p. 345.).

21 Claudian (Laus Serena;, 190. 193.) ex- 13 — Si bellica moles

preffes, in poetic language, the " dileftus 1 Ingrueret, quamvis annis et jure minori,
equorum," and the " gemino moxidemcul- Cedere granda;vos equitum peditumque

mine duxit agmina." The infeription adds, magiftros

" count of the domeftics," an important Adfpiceres.

command, which Stilicho, in the height of Claudian, Laus Seren. p. 196, &c.

his grandeur, might prudently retain. A moderr general would deem their fubmiflion,

"The beautiful lines of Claudian (in either heroic patriotifm, or abjedl fervility.

1 deferved

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

deferved the hatred of Rufinus : and the arts of calumny might have c J* A P.
been fuccefsful, if the tender and vigilant Serena had not protected * « '
her hufband againft his domeftic foes, whilft he vanquished in the
field the enemies of the empire **. Theodofius continued to fupport
an unworthy minifter, to whofe diligence he delegated the govern-
ment of the palace, and of the Eaft ; but when he marched againft
the tyrant Eugenius, he affociated his faithful general to the labours
and glories of the civil war ; and, in the laft moments of his life, the
dying monarch recommended to Stilicho, the care of his fons, and
of the republic 1S. The ambition and the abilities of Stilicho were
not unequal to the important truft; and he claimed the guardianfhip
of the two empires, during the minority of Arcadius and Honorius 26.
The firft meafure of his adminiftration, or rather of his reign, difplayed
to the nations the vigour and activity of a fpirit worthy to command.
He palfed the Alps in the depth of winter ; defcended the ftream of
the Rhine, from the fortrefs of Bafil, to the marfhes of Batavia ;
reviewed the ftate of the garriforis ; reprefTed the enterprifes of the
Germans ; and, after eftablifhing along the banks a firm and honour-
able peace, returned with incredible fpeed to the palace of Milan 27.
The perfon and court of Honorius were Subject to the mafter-general
of the Weft ; and the armies and provinces of Europe obeyed, with-

*+ Compare the poem on the firlt conful- 26 The Roman law diltinguilhes two forts

Ihip (i. 95 — 115.) with the Laus Serena of minority, which expired at the age of four-

(227 — 237. where it unfortunately breaks teen, and of twenty-five. The one was fub-

off). We may perceive the deep inveterate jec~t to the tutor, or guardian, of the perfon :

malice of Rufinus. the other to the curator, or truftee, of the

is Qaem/ratriius ipfe cflate (Heineccius, Antiquitat. Rom. ad Ju-

Difcedens, clypeumque defenforemque rifprudent. pertinent. I. i. tit. xxii, xxiii. p.

dedifti. 218 — 232.). But thefe legal ideas were never

Yet the nomination (iv Conf. H^. 4:2.) accurately transferred into the conftitution of

was private (iii Conf. Hon. 142.), cunclos an elective monarchy.

difcedere . . . jubet ; and may therefore be 17 See Claudian (i Conf. Stilich. i. i83 —

fufpedted. Zofimur, and Suidas, apply to 242.); but he mull allow more than fifteen

Stilicho, and Rufinus, the fame equal title days for the journey and return, between

of Ewffjww, guardians, or procurators. Milan and Leyden.

OUt

1 1 8

THE DECLINE AND FALL

The fall and
death of
Rufinus,

C H A P. out hefitation, a regular authority, which was exercifed in the name

1 * 1 ' of their young fovereign. Two rivals only remained to difpute the

claims, and to provoke the vengeance, of Stilicho. AVithin the limits
of Africa, Gildo, the Moor, maintained a proud and dangerous in-
dependence ; and the minifter of Constantinople afferted his equal
reign over the emperor, and the empire, of the Eaft.

The impartiality which Stilicho affected, as the common guardian
of the royal brothers, engaged him to regulate the equal divi-
NJveni)er927th. fion of the arms, the jewels, and the magnificent wardrobe and fur-
niture of the deceafed emperor ts. But the moft important object of
the inheritance confuted of the numerous legions, cohorts, and
fquadrons, of Romans, or Barbarians, whom the event of the civil
war had united under the Standard of Theodofius. The various
multitudes of Europe and Afia, exafperated by recent animofities,
were over-awed by the authority of a fingle man ; and the rigid
difcipline of Stilicho protected the lands of the citizen from the rapine
of the licentious foldier29. Anxious however, and impatient, to
relieve Italy from the prefence of this formidable hoft, which could
be ufeful only on the frontiers of the empire, he liflened to the juft
requifition of the minifter of Arcadius, declared his intention of
reconducting in perfon the troops of the Eaft; and dexteroufly em-
ployed the rumour of a Gothic tumult, to conceal his private defigns
of ambition and revenge 3°. The guilty foul of Rufinus was alarmed
by the approach of a warrior and a rival, whofe enmity he de-

13 I. Conf. Stilich. is. 88 — 94. Not only
<he robes, and diadems of the deceafed em-
peror, but even the helmets, fword-hilts,
•belts, cuirafies, &c. were enriched with
pearls, emeralds, and diamonds.

^ Tantoque remoto

Principe, mutatas orbis non fenfk habenas.
S"his highxommtndation (iConf. Stil. i. 149.)
.nay be j uflified by the fears of the dying em-

peror (de Bell. Gildon. 292 — 301.) ; and the
peace and good order which were enjoyed af-
ter his death (i Conf. Stil. i. 150—168.).

30 Stilicho's march, and the death of Ru-
finus, are defcribed by Claudian (in Runn.
l.ii. 10.1-453.), Zofimus (1. v. p. 296,297.),
Sozomen (1. viii.c. 1.), Socrates (i. vi. c. i.),
Philoftorgius (1. xi. c. 3. with Godefroy, p..
441.), and the Chronicle of Marcellinus.

ferved ;

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. uc
ferved ; he computed, with mcreafinc; terror, the narrow fpace of his CHAP.

XXIX

life and great nefs ; and, as the laft hope of fafety, he interpofed the < ' »

authority of the emperor Arcadius. Stilicho, who appears to have
directed his march along the fea-coaft of the Hadriatic, was not far
diftant from the city of ThefTulonica, when he received a peremptory
meflage, to recal the troops of the Eaftv and to declare, that bis
nearer approach would be confidered, by the Byzantine court, as an
act of hoftility. The prompt and unexpected obedience of the ge-
neral of the Weft, convinced the vulgar of his loyalty and mode-
ration ; and, as he had already engaged the affection of the Eaftem
troops, he recommended to their zeal the execution of his bloody
defign, which might be accompiifhed in his abfence, with lels
danger perhaps, and with lefs reproach. Stilicho left the command
of the troops of the Eaft to Gainas, the Gcth, on whole fidelity
he firmly relied ; with an afiurance, at leaft, that the hardy Barba-
rian would never be diverted from his purpofe by any confideration
of fear or remorfe. The foldiers^ were ealily perfuaded to punifh. the
enemy of Stilicho, and of Rome; and fuch was the general hatred
which Rufmus had excited, that the fatal fecret, communicated to
thousands, was faithfully preferved during the long march from
Theflalonica to the gates of Constantinople. As loon as they had
refolved his death", they condefcended to flatter his pride ; the ambi-
tious prscfect was feduced to believe, that thofe powerful auxiliaries
might be tempted to place the diadem on his head ; and the treafures
which he diftributed, with a tardy and reluctant hand, were accepted
by the indignant multitude, as. an infult, rather than as a gift. At'
the diftance of a mile from the capital, in the field of Mars, before
the palace of Hebdomon,. the troops halted : and the emperor, as
well as his minifter, advanced, according to ancient cuftom, refpect-
fully to falute the power which fupported their throne. As Rufinus
palfed along the ranks, and difguifed, with ftudied courtefy, his in-
3 nate

1 20

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H A P. nate haughtinefs, the wings infenfibly wheeled from the right and
— » — — ' left, and incloled the devoted victim within the circle of their arms.

Before he could reflect on the danger of his fituation, Gainas gave
the fignal of death ; a daring and forward foldier plunged his fword
into the bread of the guilty prefect, and Rufinus fell, groaned, and
expired, at the feet of the affrighted emperor. If the agonies of a
moment could expiate the crimes of a whole life, or if the outrages
inflicted on a breathlefs corpfe could be the object of pity, our hu-
manity might perhaps be affected by the horrid circumftances which
accompanied the murder of Rufinus. His mangled body was aban-
doned to the brutal fury of the populace of either fex, who haftened
in crouds, from every quarter of the city, to trample on the remains
of the haughty minifter, at whofe frown they had lb lately trembled.
His right hand was cut off, and carried through the ftrects of Con-
ftantinople, in cruel mockery, to extort contributions for the avaricious
tyrant, whofe head was publicly expofed, borne aloft on the point
of a long lance 3I. According to the favage maxims of the Greek
republics, his innocent family would have fliared the punilhment of
his crimes. The wife and daughter of Rufinus were indebted for
their fafety to the influence of religion. Her fanctuary protected
them from the raging madnefs of the people ; and they were per-
mitted to fpend the remainder of their lives in the exercifes of
Chriftian devotion, in the peaceful retirement of Jerufalem 3\

Bifcord of The fervile poet of Stilicho applauds, with ferocious- joy, this
the two em- . . r ■ n- •

pires, horrid deed, which, in the execution, perhaps, of juftice, violated*

A. D. 396,

31 The di£e£lion of Rufinus, which Claudian ftudious virgin had diligently, and even repeat-
performs with the favage coolnefs of an ana- edly, perufed the commentators on the Bible,
tomift (in Rufin. ii. 405 — 415.)* is likewife Origen, Gregory, Bafil, &c. to the amount of
fpecified by Zoilmus and Jerom (torn. i. five millions of lines. 2. At the age of
p. 26.). threefcore, (he could boaft, that Ihe had never

31 The Pagan Zofimus mentions their warned her hands, face, or any part of her
fanctuary and pilgrimage. The fifter of Ru- whole body ; excej>t the tips of her fingers,
iinus, Syh'ania, who paftcd her life at Jeru- to receive the communion. See the Vitas
falem, is famous in monaliic hiftory. 1. The Patrum, p. 779. 977.

«very

Sec.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

every law of nature and focicty, profaned the majefty of the prince, CHAP,
and renewed the dangerous examples of military licence. The con- -y— ~j
tempiation of the univerfal order and harmony had fatisfied Claudia n
of the exiftence of the Deity ; but the profperous impunity of vice
appeared to contradict his moral attributes ; and the fate of Rufinus
was the only event which could difpel the religious doubts of the
poet Such an act might vindicate the honour of Providence ; but
it did not much contribute to the happinefs of the people. In lefa
than three months they were informed of the maxims of the new
adminiftration, by a fingular edict, which eflablifhed the exclufive
right of the treafury over the fpoils of Rufinus ; and filenced, under
heavy penalties, the prefumptuous claims of the fubjects of the Eaftern
empire, who had been injured by his rapacious tyranny 3\ Even
Stilicho did not derive from the murder of his rival, the fruit which
he had propofed ; and though he gratified his revenge, his ambi-
tion was difappointed. Under the name of a favourite, the weaknefs
of Arcadius required a mafter ; but he naturally preferred the obfe-
quious arts of the eunuch Eutropius, who had obtained his domeftic
confidence ; and the emperor contemplated, with terror and averfion,
the ftern genius of a foreign warrior. Till they were divided by the
jealoufy of power, the fword of Gainas, and the charms of Eudoxia,
fupported the favour of the great chamberlain of the palace : the perfi->
dious Goth, who was appointed m after-general of the Eaft, betrayed,
without fcruple, the intereft of his benefactor ; and the fame troops,
who had fo lately mafiacred the enemy of Stilicho, were engaged to
fupport, againft him, the independence of the throne of Conftan-
tinople. The favourites of Arcadius fomented a fecret and irrecon-

15 See the beautiful exordium of his invec- leg. 14, 15. The new minifters attempted,

tive againft Rufinus, which is curioafly dif- with inconfilient avarice, to feize the fpoils of

■cuffed by the fceptic Ba>le, Diction naire their predeceflbr, and to provide for their

"Critique, Rufin. Not. E. own future fecurity.

** See the Thcodofian Code, I. ix. tit. xiii.

Vol. III. R cileable

122

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C Jtrv P" cileable war againft a formidable hero, who afpired to govern, and;

' — to defend, the two empires of Rome, and the two fons of Theodo-

fius. They incefTantly laboured, by dark and treacherous machina-
tions, to deprive him of the efteem of the prince, the refpect of the
people, and the friendship of the Barbarians. The life of Stilicho
was repeatedly attempted by the dagger of hired affaflins ; and a
decree was obtained, from the fenate of Constantinople, to declare
him an enemy of the republic, and to confifcate his ample poffeffions
in the provinces of the Eaft. At a time when the only hope of de-
laying the ruin of the Roman name, depended on the firm union,
and reciprocal aid, of all the nations to whom it had been gradually
communicated, the subjects of Arcadius and Honorius were instructed,,
by their refpective matters, to view each other in a foreign, and even
hostile, light ; to rejoice in their mutual calamities, and to em-
brace, as their faithful allies, the Barbarians, whom they excited to
invade the territories of their countrymen 35. The natives of Italy
affected to defpife the fervile and effeminate Greeks of Byzantium,
who prefumed to imitate the drefs, and to ufurp the dignity, of Ro-
man fenators 36 ; and the Greeks had not yet forgot the fentiments of
hatred and contempt, which their polished anceftors had fo long
entertained for the rude inhabitants of the Weft. The distinction of
two governments, which foon produced the feparation of two na-
tions, will juftify my defign of fufpending the feries of the Byzantine
hiftory, to profecute, without interruption, the difgraceful, but me-
morable, reign of Honorius.

35 See Claudian (i Conf. Stilich. 1. i. 275. Plaudentem cerne fenatum
292.296. 1. ii. 83.), and Zofimus, 1. v. EtByzantinos proceres, Graiofque, Quirites:
p. 302. O patribus plebes, O digni confule patres.

36 Claudian turns the confulfhip of the It is curious to obferve the firft fymptoms of
eunuch Eutropius into a national reflection jealoufy and fchifm, between old and new
(1. ii. 134..). Rome, between the Greeks and Latins.

2 ' The-

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

123

The prudent Stilicho, inftead of perfifting to force the inclinations c^r^ p-
of a prince, and people, who rejected his government, wifely aban- ^—
doned Arcadius to his unworthy favourites : and his reluctance to Gi!do in

J Africa,

involve the two empires in a civil war, difplayed the moderation of a A- D- 3s6—

398.

minifter, who had fo often fignalifed his military fpirit and abilities.
But if Stilicho had any longer endured the revolt of Africa, he would
have betrayed the fecurity of the capital, and the majefty of the
"Weftern emperor, to the capricious infolence of a Moorifh rebel.
Gildo the brother of the tyrant Firmus, had preferved and ob-
tained, as the reward of his apparent fidelity, the immenfe patrimony
which was forfeited by treafon ; long and meritorious fervice, in the
armies of Rome, raifed him to the dignity of a military count ; the
narrow policy of the court of Theodofius had adopted the mifchievous
expedient, of fupporting a legal government by the intereft of a
powerful family ; and the brother of Firmus was invefted with the
command of Africa. His ambition foon ufurped the adminiftration
of juftice, and of the finances, without account, and without con-
troul ; and he maintained, during a reign of twelve years, the pof-
femon of an office, from which it was impomble to remove him,
without the danger of a civil war. During thofe twelve years, the
provinces of Africa groaned under the dominion of a tyrant, who
feemed to unite the unfeeling temper of a ftranger, with the partial
refentments of domeftic faction. The forms of law were often fu-
perfeded by the ufe of poifon ; and if the trembling guefts, who
were invited to the table of Gildo, prefumed to exprefs their fears, the
infolent fufpicion ferved only to excite his fury, and he loudly fum-
moned the minifters of death. Gildo alternately indulged the paffions

37 Claudian may have exaggerated the vices ronius (Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 3Q8. N° 35 —

of Gildo ; but his Moorifh extraction, his no- 56.) has treated the African rebellion with

toriousa&ions, and the complaints of St. Au- ikiil and learning,
guflin, may juftify the poet's invectives. Ba-

R 2 of

t,4 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. 0f avarice, and luft 38 ; and if his days were terrible to the rich, his
XXIX. ' * '

-L- _> nights were not lefs dreadful to hufbands and parents. The faireft

of then* wives and daughters were profiituted to the embraces of the
tyrant ; and afterwards abandoned to a ferocious troop of Barbarians
and aflaffins, the black, or fwarthy, natives of the defert; whom Gildo
confidered as the only guardians of his throne. In the civil war
between Theodofius and Eugenius, the county or rather the fovereign,,
of Africa, maintained a haughty and fufpicious neutrality j refufed
to affift either of the contending parties with troops or vefTels, ex-
pected the declaration of fortune, and referved for the conqueror, the
vain profelhons of his allegiance. Such profeffions would net have
fatisfied the mafter of the Roman world : but the death of Theodofius,
and the weaknefs and difcord of his fons, confirmed the power of the
Moor; who condefcended,as a proof of his moderation, to abftain from
the ufe of the diadem, and to fupply Rome with the cuftomary tribute,,
or rather fubfidy, of corn. In every divifion of the empire, the five
provinces of Africa were invariably afhgned to the Weft ; and Gildo
had confented to govern that extenfive country in the name of Hono-
rius ; but his knowledge of the character and defigns of Stilicho,foon en-
gaged him to addrefs his homage to a more diftant and feeble fovereign..
The minifters of Arcadius embraced the caufe of a perfidious rebel ;.
and the deluhve hope of adding the numerous cities of Africa to the
empire of the Eaft, tempted them to aflert a claim, which they were
incapable of fupporting, either by reafon, or by arms 39.

When

38 Inftat terribilis vivis, morientibus haeres, licentioufnefs of Gildo; as his wife, his

Virginibus raptor, thalamis obfesnus daughter, and his filler, were examples of

adulter. perfect chaftity. The adulteries of the Afri-

Nulla quies : oritur prasda ceflante libido, r ... , , , , c . T

— ,. r ' can foldiers are checked by one of thelmpe-

Divitibulque dies, et nox metuenda 1

rial laws.

mantis.

Mauris clariilima quxque 39 In1ue tuam fortem numerofas tranftulit-

Faftidiia datur. urbes-

Earonius condemns, ftill more feverely, the Claudian (de Bell. Gildonico, 230—

3H->

OF THE ROMAN EMPiRE.

125

Wkea Stilicho had giv.en a firm and decifive anfwer to the pre- c ^xix*'
tenfions of the Byzantine court, he folemnly acccufed the tyrant of ^rp^^
Africa before the tribunal, which had formerly judged the kings J™™^
and nations of the earth ; and the image of the republic was revived, knate,

A. V. 3^7.

after a long interval, under the reign of Honorius. The emperor
tranfmitted an accurate and ample detail of the complaints of the
provincials, and the crimes of Gildo, to the Roman fenate ; and the
members of that venerable alfembly were required to pronounce the
condemnation of the rebel. Their unanimous fuffrage declared him
the enemy of the republic ; and the decree of the fenate added a
facred, and legitimate fanction, to the Roman arms40. A people,,
who ftill remembered, that their anceftors had been the mafter'3 of
the world, would have applauded, with confcious pride, the repre-
fentation of ancient freedom ; if they had not long fince been ac-
cuftomed to prefer the folid affurance of bread, to the unfubftantial
vifions of liberty and greatnefs. The fubfiftence of Rome depended
on the harvefts of Africa ; and it was evident, that a declaration of
war would be the iignal of famine. The prefect Symmachus, who
prefided in the deliberations of the fenate, admonifhed the minuter
of his juft apprehenfion, that as foon as the revengeful Moor mould
prohibit the exportation of corn, the tranquillity, and perhaps the
fafety, of the capital, would be threatened by the hungry rage of a
turbulent multitude *\ The prudence of Stilicho conceived, and ex-
ecuted, without delay, the moft effectual meafure for the relief of
the Roman people. A large and feafonable fupply of corn, collected
in the inland provinces of Gaul, was embarked on the rapid ftream

324.) has touched, with political delicacy, (i Conf. Stilich. 1. i. 325, Sec.) feems to feel

the intrigues of the Byzantine court, which the fpirit of a Roman.

are likewife mentioned by Zofimus (1. v. 41 Claudian finely difplays thefe complaints

p. 302.). of Symmachus, in a lpeech of the goddefs of

40 Symmachus (1. iv. epill. 4.) exprefles Rome, before the throne of Jupiter (de Bell,

the judicial forms of the fenate ; andClaudiaa Gildon, zZ — 128.).

126'

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C^i.vP' °f tne Rhone, and tranfported, by an eafy navigation, from the

aXIX.

v— - % j Rhone to the Tyber. During the whole term of the African war,

the granaries of Rome were continually filled, her dignity was vin-
dicated from the humiliating dependence, and the minds of an im-
menfe people were quieted by the calm confidence of peace and
plenty *\

The African The caufe of Rome, and the conduct of the African war, were

war,

A. D. 398. entrufted by Stilicho, to a general, active and ardent to avenge his
private injuries on the head of the tyrant. The fpirit of difcord,
which prevailed in the houfe of Nabal, had excited a deadly quarrel
between two of his fons, Gildo and Mafcezel The ufurper pur-
fued, with implacable rage, the life of his younger brother, whofe
courage and abilities he feared ; and Mafcezel, opprclfed by fuperior
power, took refuge in the court of Milan : where he foon received
the cruel intelligence, that his two innocent and helplefs chil-
dren had been murdered by their inhuman uncle. The affliction of
the father was fufpended only by the defire of revenge. The
vigilant Stilicho already prepared to collect the naval and military
forces of the W eftern empire ; and he had refolved, if the tyrant fhould
be able to wage an equal and doubtful war, to march againft him
in perfon. But as Italy required his prefence, and as it might be
dangerous to weaken the defence of the frontier, he judged it more
advifable, that Mafcezel ihould attempt this arduous adventure, at the
head of a chofen body of Gallic veterans, who had lately ferved
under the ftandard of Eugenius. Thefe troops, who were exhorted
to convince the world, that they could fubvert, as well as- defend,

41 See Claudian (in Eutrcp. 1. i. 401, &c. an, who underltood the coart of Milan, dwells

; Conf. Sal. 1. i. jcS, &C. ii Ccnf. Stilich. on the injuries, rather than the merit?, of

9i, Sec). Mafcezel (de Bell. Gild. 389-414.). The

43 He was of a mature age ; fince he had Moorifh war was not worthy of Honoriiis, or

formerly (A. D. 373.) ferved againft his Stilicho, ice.
brother Firmus (Ammian. xxix. 5.). Claudi-

the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

127

the throne of an ufurper, confifted of the Jovian, the Heradian, and CHAP.

XX!X.

the Augujian, legions ; of the Nervian auxiliaries ; of the foldiers, t_ _ _ «
who difplayed in their banners the fymbol of a Iiont and of the troops
which were diftinguiihed by the aufpicious names of Fortunate^ and
Invincible. Yet fuch was the fmallnefs of their eftablifhments, or
the difficulty of recruiting, that thefe feven bands 4+, of high dignity
and reputation in the fervice of Rome, amounted to no more than
five thoufand effective men 4S. The fleet of gallies and tranfports
failed in tempeftuous weather from the port of Pifa, in Tufcany,
and fleered their courfe to the little ifland of Capraria ; which had
borrowed that name from the wild goats, its original inhabitants,
whofe place was now occupied by a new colony of a ftrange and
favage appearance. " The whole ifland (fays an ingenious traveller
" of thofe times) is filled, or rather defiled, by men, who fly
" from the light. They call themfelves Monks, or folitaries, becaufe
tl they chufe to live alone, without any witneffes of their actions.
•* They fear the gifts of fortune, from the apprehenfion of lofmg them ;
" and, left they mould be miferable, they embrace a life of volun-
" tary wretchednefs, How abfurd is their choice ! how perverfe their
" underftanding t to dread the evils, without being able to fupport
" the blefiings, of the human condition. Either this melancholy
" madnefs is the effect of difeafe, or elfe the confcioufhefs of guilt
urges thefe unhappy men to exercife on their own bodies the tor-
" tures which are inflicted on fugitive flaves by the hand of juflice 46."

44 Claudian, Bell. Gild. 415 — 423. The ne timeare times (i Conf. Stilich. I. i.
change of difcipline allowed him to ufe indif- 314, &c).

ferently the names of Legio, Cohors, Manipulus. 46 Claud. Rutil. Numatian. Itinerar. i.

Seethe Notitia Imperii, S. 38. 40. 439 — 448. He afterwards ( 5 1 5 - 526.) men-

45 Orofius (1. vii. c. 36. p. 565.) qualifies tions a religious madman on the ifle of Gor-
this account with an expreflion of doubt (ut gona. For fuch profane remarks, Rutilius.,
aiunt) ; and it fcarcely coincides with the and his accomplices, are ftyled, by his ccm-
JWfAEK aJp? of Zofimus (1. v. p. 303.). Yet mentator, Barthius, rabiofi canes diaboli.
Claudian, after fome declamation about Cad- Tillemont (Mem. Ecclef. torn. xii. p. 471O
mus's foldiers, frankly owns, that Stilicho more calmly obferves, that the unbelieving
fent a fmall army ; left the rebel fhould fly, poet praifes where he means to cenfure.

Such-

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. Such was the contempt of a profane magiftrate for the monks of Ca-*
^— -v— - 1 praria, who were revered, by the pious Mafcezel, as the chofert
fervants of God 4\ Some of them were perfuaded, by his entreaties,
to embark on board the fleet ; and it is obferved, to the praife of
the Roman general, that his days and nights were employed in
prayer, fading, and the occupation of finging pfalms. The devout
leader, who, with fuch a reinforcement, appeared confident of vic-
tory, avoided the dangerous rocks of Corfica, coafted along the eaftern
fide of Sardinia, and fecured his fhips againft the violence of the fouth
wind, by calling anchor in the fafe and capacious harbour of Ca-
gliari, at the diftance of one hundred and forty miles from the Afri-
can mores *8.

Defeat and Gildo was prepared to refill the invafion with all the forces of
Giido, Africa. By the liberality of his gifts and promifes, he endeavoured
A. D. 398. t0 fecure (fog doubtful allegiance of the Roman foldiers, whilft he
attracted to his ftandard the diftant tribes of Gastulia and ^Ethiopia.
He proudly reviewed an army of feventy thoufand men, and boafted,
with the ram prefumption which is the forerunner of difgrace, that
his numerous cavalry would trample under their horfes feet, the
troops of Mafcezel, and involve, in a cloud of burning fand, the
natives of the cold regions of Gaul and Germany But the Moor,
who commanded the legions of Honorius, was too well acquainted
with the manners of his countrymen, to entertain vany ferious appre-
henfion of a naked and diforderly hoft of Barbarians ; whole left
arm, inftead of a fhield, was protected only by a mantle ; who were
totally difarmed as foon as they had darted their javelin from their

47 Orofius, 1. vii. c. 36. p. 564. Auguftin has been loft; and we arc ignorant kw, or
commends two of thefe favage faints of the <i~here, the army made good their landing in
ifle of Goats (eptfl. lxxxi. apud Tillement, Africa.

Mem. Ecclef. torn, xiii p, 317. and Baroni- 49 Orofius muft be refponfi le for the r.c-

us, Anna!. Ecclef. A. D. 398. N°5i.). count. The prefumption of Gildo and his

48 Here the firft book of the Gildonic war various train of Barbarians is celebrated by.
is terminated. The reft of Claudian's poem Ckudian (i Conk Stil. 1, i. 345 — 355.).

right

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

129

right hand; and whofe horfes had never been taught to bear the ^p
controul, or to obey the guidance, of the bridle. He fixed his
camp of five thoufand veterans in the face of a fuperior enemy, and,
after the delay of three days, gave the fignal of a general engage-
ment s°. As Mafcezel advanced before the front with fair offers of
peace and pardon, he encountered one of the foremoft ftandard-
bearers of the Africans, and, on his refufiil to yield, ftruck him on
the arm with his fword. The arm, and the ftandard, funk under the
weight of the blow ; and the imaginary act of fubmiffion was haftily
repeated by all the ftandards of the line. At this fignal, the difaffected
cohorts proclaimed the name of their lawful fovereign ; the Barbarians,
aftonifhed by the defection of their Roman allies, difperfed, according
to their cuftom, in tumultuary flight ; and Mafcezel obtained the ho-
nours of an eafy, and almoft bloodlefs, victory 5\ The tyrant
efcaped from the field of battle to the fea-more ; and threw himfelf
into a fmall vefTel, with the hope of reaching in fafety fome friendly
port of the empire of the Eaft : but the obftinacy of the wind drove
him back into the harbour of Tabraca 5Z, which had acknowledged,
with the reft of the province, the dominion of Honorius, and the
authority of his lieutenant. The inhabitants, as a proof of their
repentance and loyalty, feized and confined the perfon of Gildo in a
dungeon ; and his own defpair faved him from the intolerable torture
of fupporting the prefence of an injured, and victorious, brother S3.

50 St. Ambrofe, who had been dead about 51 Tabraca lay between the two Hippos
a year, revealed, in a vifion, the time ^nd (Cellarius, torn. ii. p. ii. p. 112. ; d'Anville,
place of the viftory. Mafcezel afterwards tom> gf< p> 8|>)> Orofiu.s has diftinaiy named
related his dream to Paulinus, the original ,t i u *i-Ll l

.. . r , r. _ , ■ . , the held or battle, birt our ignorance cannot
biographer or the faint, from whom it might

eafily pafs to Orofius. define the Precife fituat10n.

51 Zofimus (1. v. p. 303.) fuppofes an ob- " Thedeath of Gildo is expreffed by Clau-
flinate combat; but the narrative of Orofius dian (i Conf. Stil. L 357.), and his bell in-
appears to conceal a real fact, under the dif- terpreterj, Zofimus and Orofius.
guife of a miracle.

Vol. ILL S The

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c A P. captives, and the fpoils, of Africa, were laid at the feet of the

XXIX.

c-— v 1 emperor ; but Stilicho, whofe moderation appeared more confpi-

cuous, and more fincere, in the midft of profperity, ftill affected to
confult the laws of the republic ; and referred to the fenate and
people of Rome, the judgment of the moft illuftrious criminals 5+.
Their trial was public and folemn ; but the judges, in the exercife of
this obfolete and precarious jurifdiction, were impatient to punifh
the African magiftrates, who had intercepted the fubfiftence of the
Roman people. The rich and guilty province was oppreffed by the
Imperial minifters, who had a viiible intereft to multiply the number
of the accomplices of Gildo ; and if an edict of Honorius feems to
check the malicious induftry of informers, a fubfequent edict, at the
diftance of ten years, continues and renews the proiecution of the
offences which had been committed in the time of the general re-
bellion 5S. The adherents of the tyrant who efcaped the firft fury
of the foldiers, and the judges, might derive fome confolation from
the tragic fate of his brother, who could never obtain his pardon for
the extraordinary fervices which he had performed. After he had
finifhed an important war in the fpace of a fingle winter, Mafcezel
was received at the court of Milan with loud applaufe, affected gra-
titude, and fecret jealoufy s< ; and his death, which, perhaps, was the
effect of accident, has been confidered as the crime of Stilicho. In
the paffage of a bridge, the Mooriih prince, who accompanied the
mafter-general of the Weft, was fuddenly thrown from his horfe into

54 Claudian (ii Conf. Stilich. 99— 1 19.), piety, fcarcely deferves that appellation,

defcribes their trial (tremuit quos Africa 55 See the Theodofian Code, 1. ix. tit.

nuper, cernunt roflra reos), and applauds xxxix. leg. 3. tit. xl. leg. 19.

the reftoration of the ancient conftitution. It 56 Stilicho, who claimed an equal fharein

is here that he introduces the famous fentence, all the victories of Theodofius and his fon,

fo familiar to the friends of defpotifm : particularly aflerts, that Africa was recovered

. Nunquam libertas gratior exftat by the wifdom of counfels (fee an Infcrip-

Quam fub rege pio. tion produced by Baronius).

But the freedom, which depends on royal

i the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

the river ; the officious hafle of the attendants was retrained by a CHAP.

7 XXIX.

cruel and perfidious fmile, which they obferved on the countenance ' , '

of Stilicho ; and while they delayed the neceffary affiftance, the un-
fortunate Mafcezel was irrecoverably drowned

The joy of the African triumph was happily connected with the Marriage,

t # and charac-

nuptials of the emperor Honorius, and of his coufin Maria, the terofHono-

daughter of Stilicho : and this equal and honourable alliance feemed a"d. 398.

to invert the powerful minifter with the authority of a parent over

his fubmiffive pupil. The mufe of Claudian was not lilent on this

propitious day 53 : he fung, in various and lively {trains, the happi-

nefs of the royal pair ; and the glory of the hero, who confirmed

their union, and fupported their throne. The ancient fables of

Greece, which had almoft ceafed to be the object of religious faith,

were faved from oblivion by the genius of poetry. The picture of

the Cyprian grove, the feat of harmony and love; the triumphant

progrefs of Venus over her native feas, and the mild influence which

her prcfence difTufed in the palace of Milan, exprefs to every age

the natural fentiments of the heart, in the juft and pleafing language

of allegorical fiction. But the amorous impatience, which Claudian

attributes to the young prince 5S>, rauft excite the fmiles of the court ;

and his beauteous fpoufe (if fhe deferved the praife of beauty) had not

much to fear or to hope from the pafiions of her lover. Honorius

S7 I has'e foftened the narrative of Zcfi- 59 • Calet obvius ire

it. us, which, in its crude fimplicity, is almoft Jam princeps, tardumque cupit difcedcre-

incredible (1. v. p. 303.). Cronus damns , . fr*'6111*

..„. ,/ «\r ■ i . Nobilis haud aliter /W/Vj.

the victorious general (p. 538.), for violat- J '

ing the right of fanftuary. (de Nuptiis Honor, et Marirc, 287.) and

.g /->, j- ,1 .1 c j more freely in the Fefcennines (112 — 126.).

5S Claudian, as the poet laureat, compofed ' v '

a ferious and elaborate epithalamium of 340 Dices' 0 F**9* ho.c mihi duIcius

,. u rj r u r u- u Quam flavos dates vinccre Sarmaras

lines ; befides fome gay Feftennines which ^~

were fung, in a more licentious tone, on the Tiim a- 1 rr

b ' i um viitor madido pronhas toro

ivcdding-night. Nodturni referens vulnera prcelii.

S 2 was

THE DECLINE AND FALL

was only in the fourteenth year of his age ; Serena, the mother of
his bride, deferred, by art or perfiiafion, the confummation of the
royal nuptials ; Maria died a virgin, after fhe had been ten years
a wife ; and the chaftity of the emperor was fecured by the cold-
nefs, or, perhaps, the debility, of his conftitution 6°. His fub-
jects, who attentively ftudied the character of their young fove-
reign, difcovered that Honorius was without paffions, and confe-j
quently without talents ; and that his feeble and languid difpofition
was alike incapable of difcharging the duties of his rank, or of en-
joying the pleafures of his age. In his early youth he made fome
progrefs- in the exercifes of riding and drawing the bow: but he
foon relinquifhed thefe fatiguing occupations, and the amufement of
feeding poultry became the ferious and daily care of the monarch of
the Weft 61, who refigned the reins of empire to the firm and fkilful
hand of his guardian Stilicho. The experience of hiftory will coun-
tenance the fufpicion, that a prince who was born in the purple,
received a worfe education than the meaneft peafant of his domi-
nions ; and that the ambitious minifter furFered him to attain the age
of manhood, without attempting to excite his courage, or to enlighten
his underftanding 6\ The predeceflbrs of Honorius were accuftomed''
to animate, by their example, or at leaft by their prefence, the
valour of the legions ; and the dates of their laws atteft the perpe-
tual activity of their motions through the provinces of the Roman
world. But the fon of Theodofius patted the flumber of his life, a
captive in his palace, a ftranger in his country, and the patient,,

*° See Zofimus, 1. v. p. 333. 6-1 The leflbns of Theodofius, or rather

61 Procopius de Bell. Gothico, 1. i. c. 2. Glaudian (iv Conf. Honor. 214 — 418.)*

I have borrowed the general practice of Ho- might compofe a fine inftitution for the fu-

norius, without adopting the fn.gular, and, ture prince of a great and free nation. It

indeed, improbable tale, which is related by was far above Honorius, and his degenerate

the Greek hitforian. fubjects. v

almoft

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE- 13;

almoft the indifferent, fpectator of the ruin of the Weftern empire, CHAP,
which was repeatedly attacked, and finally fubverted, by the arms >_ _j
of the Barbarians. In the eventful hiftory of a reign of twenty-
eight years, it will feldom be necefiary to mention the name of the
emperor Honorius.

CHAR

134

THE DECLINE AND

FALL

CHAP. XXX.

Revolt of the Goths — They plunder Greece. — Two great
Iiivafions of Italy by Alaric and Radagaifus. — They are
repulfed by Stilicho. — -The Germans over -run Gaul. —
Ufurpation of Conflantine in the TVeft* — Difgrace and
Death of Stilicho.

CHAP. *f F the fubjects of Rome could be ignorant of their obligations to the
XXX

, . a great Theodofius, they were too foon convinced, how painfully

Goths' °fthe tne and abilities of their deceafed emperor had fupported the

A. D. 395. jrraji an(j mouldering edifice of the republic. He died in the month
of January ; and before the end of the winter of the fame year, the
Gothic nation was in arms \ The Barbarian auxiliaries erected their
independent ftandard ; and boldly avowed the hoftile defigns, which
they had long cherifhed in their ferocious minds. Their country-
men, who had been condemned, by the conditions of the laft treaty,
to a life of tranquillity and labour, deferted their farms at the firft
found of the trumpet ; and eagerly refumed the weapons which
they had reluctantly laid down, The barriers of the Danube were
thrown open; the favage warriors of Scythia iffued from their forefts ;
and the uncommon fe verity of the winter allowed the poet to re-
mark, " that they rolled their ponderous waggons over the broad
" and icy back of the indignant river V\,- The unhappy natives of

the

' The revolt of the Goths, and the block- Zofimus (1. v. p. 292.)} and Jornandes (de
ade of Constantinople, are distinctly men- Rebus Geticis, c. 29.).
tioned by Claudian (in Ruiin. I. ii. 7 — 100.), 2 — ■ ■ ■ Alii per terga ferocis

Danubii

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE:

r35

the provinces to the South of the Danube, fubmitted to the calamities, c 11 A p-

XXXi

which, in the courfe of twenty years, were almoft grown familiar to < „ — -/

their imagination ; and the various troops of Barbarians, who gloried
in the Gothic name, were irregularly fpread from the woody fhores
of Dalmatia, to the walls of Conftantinople 3. The interruption, or
at leaft the diminution, of the fubfidy, which the Goths had received
from the prudent liberality of Theodofius, was the fpecious pretence
of their revolt: the affront wras embittered by their contempt for the
unwarlike fons of Theodofius; and their refentment was inflamed
by the weaknefs, or treachery, of the minifter of Arcadius. The
frequent vifits of Rufmus to the camp of the Barbarians, whole arms
and apparel he affected to imitate, were confidered as a fuflicient
evidence of his guilty correfpondence : and the public enemy, from
a motive either of gratitude or of policy, was attentive, amidft the
general devaluation, to fpare the private eftates of the unpopular
prefect. The Goths, inftead of being impelled by the blind and
headftrong paffions of their chiefs, were now directed by the bold
and artful genius of Alaric. That renowned leader was defcended
from the noble race of the Balti4; which yielded only to the royal
dignity of the Amali : he had folicited the command of the Roman
armies ; and the Imperial court provoked him to demonftrate the

Danubii folidata ruunt ; expertaque remis * Baltba, or bold: origo mirifica, fays

• Frangunt ft gna rotis. Jornandes (c. 29.). This illuftrious race

Claudian and Ovid often amufe their fancy iong continued to flourilh in France, in the

by interchanging the metaphors and proper- r . ■ • c c t

/ r , ° 6 n„ 1 Gothic province or Septimania, or Langue-

ties or liquid water, and Jo/id ice. Much . , , , ,, . °

c ,r ■ i , , j • r doc ; under the corrupted appellation of Baux :

falfe wit has been expended in this eafy ex- r tr »ivi*juu*.

ercife_ and a branch of that family afterwards

3 Jerom, torn. i. p. 26. He endeavours fettled in the kingdom of Naples (Grotius

to comfort his friend Heliodorus, bifhop of in Prohgom. ad Hilt. Gothic, p. 53.). The ■

Altinum, for the lofs of his nephew Nepo- lords of Baux, near Aries, and of feventy-

tian, by a curious recapitulation of all the n;ne fubordinate places, were independent

public and private misfortunes of the times. „r „c p_^„„ „„ t»

r ~ , r ■■ ot the counts ot rrovence (Longuerue, De-

See Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. xn. p. ■ P . . , ', „ .
200> &c> ^ fcription de la France, torn. 1. p. 357.).

folly

i36 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, folly of their refufal, and the importance of their lofs. Whatever
XXX.

C — v ' hopes might be entertained of the conquefl: of Conftantinople, the

judicious general foon abandoned an impracticable enterprife. In
the midft of a divided court, and a difcontented people, the emperor
Arcadius was terrified by the afpect of the Gothic arms : but the
want of wifdom and valour was fupplied by the ftrength of the
city ; and the fortifications, both of the fea and land, might fe-
curely brave the impotent and random darts of the Barbarians. Ala-
ric difdained to trample any longer on the proftrate and ruined
countries of Thrace and Dacia, and he refolved to feek a plentiful
harveft of fame and riches in a province which had hitherto efcaped
the ravages of war s.

Ahiic The character of the civil and military officers, on whom Rufinus

Into Greece, had devolved the government of Greece, confirmed the public fufpi-
jA. D. 396. cion^ fkaj }ie betrayed the ancient feat of freedom and learning
to the Gothic invader. The proconful Antiochus was the unwor-
thy fon of a refpeclable father; and Gerontius, who commanded the
provincial troops, was much better qualified to execute the oppreffive
orders of a tyrant, than to defend, with courage and ability, a coun-
try moft remarkably fortified by the hand of nature. Alaric had
traverfed, without refiftance, the plains of Macedonia and ThefTaly,
as far as the foot of Mount Oeta, a fteep and woody range of hills,
almoft impervious to his cavalry. They ftretched from Eaft to Weft,
■to the edge of the fea-fhore ; and left, between the precipice and the
Malian Gulf, an interval of three hundred feet, which, in fome places,
was contracted to a road capable of admitting only a fingle carriage6.
In this narrow pafs of Thermopylae, where Leonidas and the three

' Zofimus (L v. p. Z93-295.) is our bcft * Compare Herodotus (1. vii. c. 176.) and

guide for the conquefl: of Greece : but the Livy (xxxvi. 15.). The narrow entrance of

hints and allufion of Claudian are fo many Greece was probably enlarged by each fuc-

grays of hiiloric light. ceffive raviffier,

„ hundred

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

137

hundred Spartans had glorioufly devoted their lives, the Goths might CHAP,
have been flopped, or deftroyed, by a fkilful general ; and perhaps the v. — — >
view of thatfacred fpot might have kindled Tome fparks of military ardour
in the breafls of the degenerate Greeks. The troops which had been
ported to defend the ftreights of Thermopylae, retired, as they were
directed, without attempting to difajrb the fecure and rapid paffage
of Alaric 7 ; and the fertile fields of Phocis, and Bseotia, were in-
ftantly covered by a deluge of Barbarians ; who maffacred the males
of an age to bear arms, and drove away the beautiful females, with
the fpoil, and cattle, of the flaming villages. The travellers, who
vifited Greece feveral years afterwards, could -eafily difcover the deep
and bloody traces of the march of the Goths ; and Thebes was lefs
indebted for her prefervation to the ftrength of her feven gates, than
to the eager hafte of Alaric, who advanced to occupy the city of
Athens, and the important harbour of the Piraeus. The fame impa-
tience urged him to prevent the delay and danger of a fiege, by the
offer of a capitulation ; and as foon as the Athenians heard the voice
of the Gothic herald, they were eafily perfuaded to deliver the
greateft part of their wealth, as the ranfom of the city of Minerva*
and its inhabitants. The treaty was ratified by folemn oaths, and
obferved with mutual fidelity. The Gothic prince, with a final! and
felect train, was admitted within the walls ; he indulged himfelf in
the refrefhment of the bath, accepted a fplendid banquet which was
provided by the magiftrate, and affected to fhew that he was not ig-
norant of the manners of civilifed nations \ But the whole territory

7 He patted, fays Eunapins (in Vit. Phi- Zofimus, who wiflied to foften the calamities
lofoph. p. 93. edit. Commelin, 1596.), of Athens.

through the ftreights, vtn tav^ (of Ther- £JCC fera Cecropks traxifient vincula matres.

Y1 3 5 1 Synefius (Epiit. cm. p. 272. edit. Petav.)

*goT« cfc&a -r^xm. obferves, that Athens, whofe fufierings he

8 In obedience to Jerom, and Claudian imputes to the proconful's avarice, was at
(in Rufin. !: ii. 191.), I have mixed fome that time lefs famous for her fchools of philo-
darker colours in the mild reprefentation of fophy than for her trade of honey.

Vol. Ill, T of

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. 0f Attica, from the promontory- of Sunium to the town of Megara,

« u ' was blafted by his baleful prefence ; and, if we may ufe the compari-

fon of a contemporary philofopher, Athens itfelf refembled the bleed-
ing and empty fkin of a flaughtered victim. The diftance between
Megara and Corinth could not much exceed thirty miles ; but the
bad road, an expreffive name, which it ftill bears among the Greeks,
was, or might eafily have been made, impaflable for the march of
an enemy. The thick and gloomy woods of Mount Cithseron co-
vered the inland country ; the Scironian rocks approached the water' S*
edge, and hung over the narrow and winding path, which was con-
fined above fix miles along the fea-fhore 9. The paffage of thofe
rocks, fo infamous in every age, was terminated by the ifthmus of
Corinth ; and a fmall body of firm and intrepid foldiers might have
fuccefsfully defended a temporary intrenchment of five or fix miles* •
from the Ionian to the iEgean fea. The confidence of the cities of
Peloponnefus, in their natural rampart, had tempted them to neglect
the care of their antique walls ; and the avarice of the Roman gover-
nors had exhaufted and betrayed the unhappy province l°. Corinth,
Argos, Sparta, yielded without refiftance to the arms of the Goths;
and the moft fortunate of the inhabitants were faved, by death, from
beholding the flavery of their families, and the conflagration of their
cities The vafes and ftatues were diflributed among the Barba-
rians, with more regard to the value of the materials, than to the

9 Vallata mari Scironia rupes, forcibly, delineates the fcene of rapine and

Et duo continuo conne&ens aequora muro defirudiion.

IUhmOS 11 Tg»j Aavecot y.a% rir^oLy.ic, &C. Thefe

Claudian de Bell. Getico, 188. generous lines of Homer (OdyfT. 1. v. 306.)

The Scironian rocks are defcribed by Paufa- were tranfcribed by one of the captive youths

nias (1. i. c. 44. p. 107. edit. Kahn) and of Corinth : and the tears of Mummius may

our modern travellers, Wheeler (p. 436 ) prove that the rude conqueror, though he -

and Chandler (p. 298.)- Hadrian made was ignorant of the value of an original pic-

the road pafl'able for two carriages. ture, porTclTed the pureit fource of good tafte,

10 Claudian (in Rufin. 1. ii. 186. and de a benevolent heart (Plutarch, Svmpofiac. .

Bello Getico, 6u, Sec.) vaguely, though 1. ix. torn. ii. p. 737. edit. WecheL).

elegance

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

elegance of the wcrkmanfhip ; the female captives fubmitted to the
laws of war ; the enjoyment of beauty w?.s the reward of valour; and
the Greeks could not reafonably complain of an abufe, which was
juftified by the example of the heroic times '\ The defendants of
that extraordinary people, who had conhdered valour and difcipline
as the walls of Sparta, no longer remembered the generous reply of
their anceftors to an invader more formidable than Alaric. " If thou
" art a god, thou wilt not hurt thofe who have never injured thee ; .
" if thou art a man, adA^ance: — and thou wilt find men equal to
" thyfelf ,3." From Thermopylae to Sparta, the leader of the Goths
purfued his victorious march without encountering any mortal anta-
gonifts : but one of the advocates of expiring Paganifm has confi-
dently afierted, that the walls of Athens were guarded by the goddefs
Minerva, with her formidable iEgis, and by the angry phantom of
Achilles I+ ; and that the conqueror was difmayed by the prefence of
the hoftile deities of Greece. In an age of miracles, it would per-
haps be unjuft to difpute the claim of the hiftorian Zofimus to the
common benefit; yet it cannot be diilembled, that the mind of
Alaric was ill prepared to receive, either in fleeping or wraking viiions,
the imprefllons of Greek fuperftition. The fongs of Homer, and
the fame of Achilles, had probably never reached the ear of the illi-
terate Barbarian; and the Chrijlian faith, which he had devoutly
embraced, taught him to defpife the imaginary deities of Rome and
Athens. The invafion of the Goths, inftead of vindicating the ho-
nour, contributed, at leaft accidentally, to extirpate the laft remains'

11 Homer perpetually defcribes the exem- Laconic dialed. Pyrrhus attacked Sparta with

pkry patience of thefe female captives, who 25,000 foot, 2:00 horfe, and 24 elephants :

gave their charms, and even their hearts, to and the defence of that open town is a fine

the murderers of their fathers, brothers, &c. comment on the laws of Lycurgus, even in

Such a paflion (of Eriphile for Achilles) is the laft ftage of decay.

touched with admirable delicacy by Racine. 14 Such, perhaps, as Homer (Iliad, xx.

13 Plutarch (in Pyrrho, torn. ii. p. 471. 164.) has fo nobly painted him.
edit. Brian) gives the genuine anfwer in the

T 2 of

i4o T&E DECLINE AND FALL

C XXX P' °^ ^aSan^m ' anc* t^ie m)rfte"es °f Ceres, which had fubfifted
\_ -. — eighteen hundred years, did not furvive the deftruction of Eleufis,

and the calamities of Greece IS.
He is attack- The laft hope of a people who could no longer depend on their
cho7 " arms, their gods, or their fovereign, was placed in the powerful
A. D. 397, afliftance of the general of the Weft ; and Stilicho, who had not been
permitted to repulfe, advanced to chaftife, the invaders of Greece I6.
A numerous fleet was equipped in the ports of Italy; and the troops,
after a fhort and profperous navigation over the Ionian fea, were
fafely dilembarked on the ifthmus, near the ruins of Corinth. The
woody and mountainous country of Arcadia, the fabulous refidence
of Pan and the Dryads, became the fcene of a long and doubtful
conflict between two generals not unworthy of each other. The
fkill and perfeverance of the Roman at length prevailed: and the
Goths, after fuftaining a confiderable lofs from difeafe and defertion,
gradually retreated to the lofty mountain of Pholoe, near the fources
of the Peneus, and on the frontiers of Elis ; a facred country, which
had formerly been exempted from the calamities of war '7. The camp
of the Barbarians was immediately befieged : the waters of the ri-
ver 18 were diverted into another channel ; and while they laboured

under

15 Eunapius (in Vit. Philofoph. p. 90 — their privilege, and they flittered. Polybius
93.) intimates, that a troop of Monks be- advifes them to retire once more within their
tiayed Greece, and followed the Gothic magic circle. See a learned and judicious
camp. difcourfe on the Olympic games, which Mr.

16 For Siilicho's Greek war, compare the Welt has prefixed to his tranflation of Pin-
honeft narrative of Zofimus (1. v. p. 295, dar.

296.), with the curious circumftantial flattery 48 Claudian (in iv Conf. Hon. 480.) al-
of Claudian (i Conf. Stilich. 1. i. 172 — ludes to the faft, without naming the river :
186. iv Conf. Hon. 459 — 487.). As the perhaps the Alpheus (i Conf. Stil. 1. i.
event was not glorious, it is artfully thrown 185.).

into the made. Et Alpheus Geticis anguftus acervis

17 The troops who marched through Ens n-. j. _ , c- . ..

* . * I ardior ad biculos etiamnum pergit amores,

delivered up their arms. This fscunty en-
riched the Eleans, who were lovers of a rural Yet I ftiould prefer the Peneus, a fliallow
life. Riches begat pride; they difdained ftream in a wide and deep bed, which runs

through.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 141

under the intolerable preflure of thirft and hunger, a ftrong line of P"
circumvallation was formed to prevent their efcape. After thefe pre- * _j
cautions, Stiiicho, too confident of victory, retired to enjoy his tri-
umph, in the theatrical games, and lafcivious dances, of the Greeks;
his foldiers, deferting their ftaridards, fpread themfelves over the coun-
try of their allies, which they ftripped of all that had been faved from
the rapacious hands of the enemy. Alaric appears to have feized the fa-
vourable moment to execute one of thofe hardy enterprifes, in which
the abilities of a general are difplayed with more genuine luilre, than
in the tumult of a day of battle. To extricate himfelf from the
prifon of Peloponnefus, it was neceffary that he fhould pierce the
intrenchments which furrounded his camp ; that he mould perform
a difficult and dangerous march of thirty miles, as far as the Gulf of
Corinth ; and that he mould tranfport his troops, his captives, and
his fpoil, over an arm of the fea, which, in the narrow interval efcapes to
between Rhium and the oppofite fliore, is at leaft half a mile EPiras~
in breadth ,9. The operations of Alaric muft have been fecret,
prudent, and rapid ; fmce the Roman general was confounded
by the intelligence, that the Goths, who had eluded his efforts,
were in full poffeffion of the important province of Epirus. This
unfortunate delay allowed Alaric fufficient time to conclude the
treaty,- which he ferretly negociated, with the minifters of Conftan-
tinople. The apprehenfion of a civil war compelled Stiiicho to re-
tire, at the haughty mandate of his rivals, from the dominions of
Arcadius ; and he refpected, in the enemy of Rome, the honour-
able character of the ally and fervant of the emperor of the Eaft.

through Elis, and falls into the fea below 13 Strabo, 1. viii. p. 517. Plin. HMh

Cyllene. It had been joined with the Al- Natur. iv. 3. Wheeler, p. 308. Chandler,

pheus, to cleanfe the Augean liable (Cella- p. 275. They meafured, from difFeren:

rius, torn. i. p. 760. Chandler's Travels, points, the diJlancc between the two lands,
p. 286.).

1 A Grecian

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. A Grecian philofopher who viiited Conftantinople foon after the

i — ; death of Theodcfius, pubhlhed his liberal opinions concerning the

dared ma- duties of kings, and the ftate of the Roman republic. Synefius ob-

ofthe^riern feives, and deplores the fatal abufe, which the imprudent bounty

Illyncum, 0f fae }ate emperor had introduced into the military fervice. The
A. D. 392, < % r J

citizens, and fubjects, had purchafed an exemption from the indif-

peniable duty of defending their country ; which was fuppcrted by
the arms of Barbarian mercenaries. The fugitives of Scythia were
permitted to difgrace the illuftrious -dignities of the empire ; their
ferocious youth, who difdained the falutary rellraint of laws, were
more anxious to acquire the riches, than to imitate the arts, of a
people, the object of their contempt and hatred ; and the power of
the Goths was the ftone of Tantalus, perpetually fufpended over
the peace and fafety of the devoted ftate. The meafures, which
Synefius recommends, are the dictates of a bold and generous pa-
triot. He exhorts the emperor to revive the courage of his fubjecls,
by the example of manly virtue ; to banifh luxury from the court,
and from the camp -3 to fubftitute, in the place of the Barbarian mer-
cenaries, an army of men, interefted in the defence of their laws and
of their property ; to force, in fuch a moment of public danger, the
mechanic from his fhop, and the philofopher from his fchool ; to
roufe the indolent citizen from his dream of pleafure, and to arm,
for the protection of agriculture, the hands of the laborious hufband-
man. At the head of fuch troops, who might deferve the name,
and would difplay the fpirit, of Romans, he animates the fon of
Theodofius to encounter a race of Barbarians, who were deftitute of
any real courage; and never to lay down his arms, till he had

10 Synefius patted three years (A. D. 397 de Regno (p. 1—32. edit. Petav. Paris
— 400.) at Conftantinople, as deputy from 161 2.). The philofopher was made bilhop
Cyrene to the emperor Arcadius. He pre- of Ptolemais, A. D. 410, and died about
fented him with a crown of gold, and pro- 430. See Tillcmont, Mem. Ecclef. tom.xii.
nounced before him the instructive oration p. 499. 554. 683—685.

chaced

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

■chaced them far away into the folitudes of Scythm; or had reduced
them to the ftate of ignominious fervitude, which the Lacedaemo-
nians formerly impofed on the captive Helots1'. The court of Ar-
cadius indulged the zeal, applauded the eloquence, and neglected
the advice, of -Synefius. Perhaps the philofopher, who addrefles the
emperor of the Eaft, in the language of reafon and virtue, which he
might have ufed to a Spartan king, had not condefcended to form a
practicable fcheme, cenfiftent with the temper, and circumftances,
of a degenerate age. Perhaps the pride of the minifters, whofe bu-
finefs was feldom interrupted by reflection, might reject, as wild and
vifionary, every propofal, which exceeded the meafure of their capa-
city, and deviated from the forms and precedents of office. While
the oration of Synefius, and the downfal of the Barbarians, were the
topics of popular converfation, an edict was publiihed at Conftanti-
nople, which declared the promotion of Alaric to the rank of mafter-
general of the Eafiern Illyricum. The Roman provincials, and the
allies, who had refpected the faith of treaties, were juftly indignant,
that the ruin, of Greece and Epirus mould be fo liberally rewarded.
The Gothic conqueror was received as a lawful magiftrate, in the
cities which he had fo lately befieged. The fathers, whofe fons he
had mafficred, the hufbands, whofe wives he had violated, were
fubject to his authority: and the fuccefs of his rebellion encouraged
the ambition of every leader of the foreign mercenaries. The ufe
to which Alaric applied his new command, diftinguifhes the firm,
and judicious character of his policy. He ifitied his orders to the
four magazines and manufactures of offensive and defenfive arms,
Margus, Ratiaria, Naiffus, and TheiTalonica, to provide his troops
with an extraordinary fupply of fhields, helmets, fwords, and fpears ;
the unhappy provincials were compelled to forge the inftruments of
their own deftruction ; and the Barbarians removed the only defect

" Synefius de Regno, p. 21 — 26.

2- which

144

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, xvhich had fometimes difappointed the efforts of their courage",
v— — ' The birth of Alaric, the glory of his paft exploits, and the confidence
in his future defigns, infenfibly united the body of the nation under
his victorious ftandard ; and, with the unanimous confent of the Bar-
barian chieftains, the mafter- general of Ulyricum was elevated, ac-
cording to ancient cuflom, on a fhield, and folemnly proclaimed
and king of king of the Vifigotlis *\ Armed with this double power, feated on
t e lfigot s. ^e verge 0f t]ie two empires, he alternately fold his deceitful pro-
mifes to the courts of Arcadius and Honorius *+ ; till he declared and
executed his refolution of invading the dominions of the Weft. The
provinces of Europe which belonged to the Eaftern emperor, were
already exhausted ; thofe of Afia were inaccefiible ; and the ftrength
of Conftantinople had refifted his attack. But he was tempted by the
fame, the beauty, the wealth of Italy, which he had twice vifited;
and he fecretly afpired to plant the Gothic ftandard on the walls of
Rome, and to enrich his army with the accumulated fpoils of three
hundred triumphs *J.
He invades The fcarcity of facts w, and the uncertainty of dates %\ oppofe our
A. D. 400— attempts to defcribe the circumftances of the firft invafion of Italy
4°3* by

11 qui fcedera rumpit 45 Alpibus Italiae ruptis penetrabis ad Vr-

Ditatur : qui fervat, eget : vaftator Achiva? bem.

Gentis, et Epirum nuper populatus inultam This authentic prediction was announced by

Prasfidet Illyrico : jam, quos obfedit, amicos Alaric, or at leafi: by Claudian (de Bell,

Ingreditur muros ; illis refponfa daturus Getico, 547. ), feven years before the event.

Quorum conjugibuspotitur, natofqueperemit. But as it was not accoinpliihed within the

Claudian in Eutrop. 1. ii. 212. Alaric ap- term which has been raihly fixed, the inter-

plauds his own policy (de Bell. Getic. 533 preters efcaped thro' an ambiguous meaning.

— 543.), in the ufe which he had made of « Our beft materials are 970 verfes of

thislllyrian jurifdidion. Claudian, in the poem on the Getic War,

13 Jornandes, c. 29. p. 651. The Go- and the beginning of that which celebrates
thic hiftorian adds, with unufual fpirit, Cum the fixth confulfhip of Honorius. Zofimus
fuis deliberans fuafit fuo labore quaerere reg- is totally filent ; and we are reduced to fuck
na, quam alienis per otium fubjacere. fcraps, or rather crumbs, as we can pick

14 Difcors pdiifque anceps civilibus from Orofius and the Chronicles.

Orbis »» Notwithilanding the grofs errors of Jor-

Non fua vis tutata diu, d urn fcedera fallax nandes, who cpnfounds the Italian wars of

Ludit, et alterns perjuria venditat aula?. Alaric (c. 29.), his date of the confulihip

Claudian de Bell, Get. 565. of

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

by the arms of Alaric. His march, perhaps from ThefTalonica, CHAP,
through the warlike and hoftile country of Pannonia, as far as the v—
foot of the Julian Alps ; his paffage of thofe mountains, which were
ftrongly guarded by troops and intrenchments ; the fiege of Aquileia,
and the conqueft of the provinces of Iftria and Venetia, appear to
have employed a confiderable time. Unlefs his operations were ex-
tremely cautious and flow, the length of the interval would fuggeft a
probable fufpicion, that the Gothic king retreated towards the banks
of the Danube ; and reinforced his army with freih fwarms of Bar-
barians, before he again attempted to penetrate into the heart of Italy.
Since the public and important events efcape the diligence of the
hiflorian, he may amufe himfelf with contemplating, for a moment,
the influence of the arms of Alaric on the fortunes of two obfcure in-
dividuals, aN prefbyter of Aquileia, and an hufbandman of Verona.
The learned Rufinus, who was fummoned by his enemies to appear
before a Roman fynod28, wifely preferred the dangers of a befieged
city ; and the Barbarians, who furioufly mook the walls of Aquileia,
might fave him from the cruel fentence of another heretic, who, at the
requeft of the fame bifhops, was feverely whipped, and condemned to
perpetual exile on a defert ifland19. The old man 3°, who had palled his

of Stilicho and Aurelian (A. D. 400.) is firm 19 Jovinjan, the enemy of farts and of

and refpeflable. It is certain, from Clau- celibacy, who was perfecuted, and infulted

dian (Tillemont Hift. des Emp. torn. v. p. by the furious Jerom (Jortin's Remarks,

804.), that the battle of Pollen tia was fought vol. iv. p. 104, &c). See the original edit!

A. D. 403 ; but we cannot eafily fill the of banifhment in the Theodofian Code, 1.

interval. xvi. tit. v. leg. 43.

xs Tantum Romana? urbis judicium fagis, !° This. epigram (de Sene Veronenfi qui

ut magis obfidionem barbancam, qu?.m pa- fukurbium nufquam e^reffus eft), is one of

<at<e urbis judicium velis fuftinere. Jerom. the cai;lic^ and moft pleafing compofitions of

torn. ii. p. 239. Rufinus underftood his own Claudian- Cowley's imitation (Hurd's edi-

danger: the peaceful city was inflamed by tion' vo1, P- 2 + !0 has fo°ie natural and

the beldam Marceiia, and the reft of Jeronv's fu°kes : but it is much inferior to the

faction. original portrait, which is'evidcntly drawn

from the life.

Vol. III. U fimple

146 THE DECLINE AND FALL

C xxx P* ^impk an^ innocent life in the neighbourhood of Verona, was a ftranger
./ to the quarrels both of kings and of bifhops j bis pleafures, his defires,
his knowledge, were confined within the little circle of his paternal
farm ; and a ftafF fupported his aged fteps, on the fame ground where
he had fported in his infancy. Yet even this humble and ruftic felicity
(which Claudian defcribes with fo much truth and feeling), was ft ill
" expofed to the undiftinguifhing rage of war. His trees, his old con-
temporary trees 3I, muft blaze in the conflagration of the whole coun-
try ; a detachment of Gothic cavalry might fweep away his cottage
and his family ; and the power of Alaric could deftroy this happinefs,
which he was not able, either to tafte, or to beftow. " Fame," fays the
poet, " encircling with terror her gloomy wings, proclaimed the march
" of the Barbarian army, and filled Italy with confternation :" the ap-
prehenfions of each individual were increafed in juft proportion to
the meafure of his fortune : and the moft timid, who had already
embarked their valuable effects, meditated their efcape to the ifland
of Sicily, or the African coaft. The public diftrefs was aggravated
by the fears and reproaches of fuperftition 3\ Every hour produced
fome horrid tale of ftrange and portentous accidents : the Pagans de-
plored the neglect of omens, and the interruption of facrifices ; but
the Chriftians ftill derived fome comfort from the powerful interceflion
of the faints and martyrs

31 Ingentem meminit parvo qui germine 31 Claudian de Bell. Get. 199—266. He

quercum may feem prolix : but fear and fuperlHtion

^Equxvumque videt confenuifie nemus. occupied as large a fpace in the minds of the

A neighbouring wood born with himfelf a,!a"lS' , „. , ~ ,. , . ,

he fees t*rom the palfages of Pauhnus, which

. , .' ,, Baronius has produced (Annal. Ecclef. A.

And loves his old contemporary trees. „ *ro % •' • -r n

r ' D. 403, N°5i.), it is manifeft, that the

In this pafTage, Cowley is perhaps fuperior general alarm had pervaded all Italy, as far

to his original ; and the Englilh poet, who as Nola in Campania, where that famous

was a good botanilt, has concealed the oaks, penitent had fixed his abode,
under a more general exprelfion.

The

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

The emperor Honorius was diftinguifhed, above Ins fubjects, by C H A P.
the pre-eminence of fear, as well as of rank. The pride and <- — - — — *

Honorius

luxury in which he was educated, had not allowed him to fufpecl', flies from
that there exifted on the earth any power prefumptuous enough to A. ix'403,
invade the repofe of the fucceflbr of Auguftus. The arts of flattery
concealed the impending danger, till Alaric approached the palace
of Milan. But when the found of war had awakened the young
emperor, inftead of flying to arms with the fpirit, or even the rafh-
nefs, of his age, he eagerly liftened to thofe timid counfellors, who
propofed to convey his facred perfon, and his faithful attendants, to
fome fecure and diftant ftation in the provinces of Gaul. Stilicho
alone 34 had courage and authority to refill: this difgraceful meafure,
which would have abandoned Rome and Italy to the Barbarians ;
but as the troops of the palace had been lately detached to the
Rhsetian frontier, and as the refource of new levies was flow and
precarious, the general of the Weft could only promife, that, if the
court of Milan would maintain their ground during his abfence, he
would foon return with an army equal to the encounter of the
Gothic king. Without lofing a moment (while each moment was
fo important to the public fafety) Stilicho haftily embarked on the
Larian lake, afcended the mountains of ice and fnow, amidft the
feverity of an Alpine winter, and fuddenly reprefTed, by his un-
expected prefence, the enemy, who had difturbed the tranquility of
RhcEtia 3S. The Barbarians, perhaps fome tribes of the Alemanni,
refpected the firmnefs of a chief, who ftill affumed the language of
command ; and the choice which he condelcended to make, of a
felect number of their braveft youth, was confidered as a mark of

3* Solus erat Stilicho, &c. is the exclu- cant mull Honorius have appeared in his

-five commendation which Claudian bellows own court '

/j„d^u r-o.- s j r j- 35 The face of the country, and the har-

(de Bell. Oet. 207.), without condefcending ....„.,., . ,3 ', . ., , , ,

, „ . , ° dinefs of Stilicho, are finely defcnbed (de

to except the emperor. How infigmfi- Bell. Get- 340 — 363.). '

U 2 his

i48 THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. efteem and favour. The cohorts, who were delivered from the

' v ' neighbouring foe, diligently repaired to the Imperial ftandard ; and

Stilicho iflued his orders to the moll remote troops of the Weft, to
advance, by rapid marches, to the defence of Honorius and of Italy.
The fortrefles of the Rhine were abandoned ; and the fafety of Gaul
was protected only by the faith of the Germans, and the ancient
terror of the Roman name. Even the legion, which had been fta-
tioned to guard the wall of Britain againft the Caledonians of the
North, was haftily recalled36; and a numerous body of the cavalry
of the Alani was perfuaded to engage in the fervice of the emperor,
who anxioufly expected the return of his general. The prudence
and vigour of Stilicho were confpicuous on this occafion, which
revealed, at the fame time, the weaknefs of the falling empire.
The legions of Rome, which had long fince languished in the
gradual decay of difcipline and courage, were exterminated by the
Gothic and civil wars ; and it was found impofTible, without ex-
haufting and expofing the provinces, to afTemble an army for the
defence of Italy.

Heispurfued When Stilicho feemed to abandon his fovereign in the unguarded
by the Goths, palace of Milan, he had probably calculated the term of his abfence,
the diftance of the enemy, and the obftacles that might retard their
march. He principally depended on the rivers of Italy, the Adige,
the Mincius, the Oglio, and the Addua ; which, in the winter or
fpring, by the fall of rains, or by the melting of the mows, are
commonly fwellcd into broad and impetuous torrents". But the

feafon

,6 Venit et extremis legio prxtenta Bri- willing to allow for the duration of the Go-
tannis thic war.

Qua: Scoto dat frena truci. 37 Every traveller muft recollect the face

De Bell. Get. 416. of Lombardy (fee Fontendl?, torn. v. p.
Yet the moil; rapid march from Edinburgh, 279.), which is often tormented by the ca-
or Newcaftle, to Milan, muft have required a pricious and irregular abundance of waters,
longer fpace of time than Claudian feems The Auftrians, before Genoa, were encamped

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

149

feafon happened to be remarkably dry ; and the Goths could tra-
verfe, without impediment, the wide and ftony beds, whofe centre
was faintly marked by the courfe of a mallow ftream. The bridge
and paffage of the Addua were fecured by a ftrong detachment of
the Gothic army ; and as Alaric approached the walls, or rather the
fuburbs, of Milan, he enjoyed die proud fatisfaclion of feeing the
emperor of the Romans fly before him. Honorius, accompanied«by
a feeble train of (latefmen and eunuchs, haftily retreated' towards
the Alps, with a defign of fecuring his pcrfon in the city of Aries,
which had often been the royal refidence of his predecelTors. But
Honorius 33 had fcarcely palTed the Po, before he was overtaken by
the fpeed of the Gothic cavalry 39 ; fince the urgency of the danger
compelled him to feek a temporary fhelter within the fortification of
Afta, a town of Liguria or Piemont, fituate on the banks of the
Tanarus40. The fiege of an obfeure place, which contained fo rich
a prize, and feemed incapable of a long refiftance, was inflantly
formed, and indefatigably pre fled, by the king of the Goths ; and the
bold declaration, which the emperor might afterwards make, that
his breafl had never been fufceptible of fear, did not probably obtain
much credit, even in his own court4'. In the laft, and almoft hope-
lefs extremity, after the Earbarians had already propofed the indig-

in the dry bed of the Polcevera. " Ne
" farebbe" (fays Muratori' " mai pafl'ato
ff per mente a que buoni A'emanni, che
" quel picciolo torrente poteffe, per cofi
" dire in un inflame cangiarfi in im terri-
" bil gigante." (Annal. d'ltalia, torn. xvi.
p. 443. Milan, 1753, 8vo edit.)

38 Claui'ian does not clearly anfwer our
queftion, Where was Honorius himfelf ? Yet
the flight is marked by the purfuit ; and my
idea of the Gothic war is juftified by the
Italian critics, Sigor.ius (torn. i. P. ii. p.
369. de Imp. Occident. 1. x.) and Muratori
(Annali d'ltalia, torn. iv. p. 45.).

39 One of the roads may be traced in the
Itineraries (p. 98. 288. 294. with Wefleling's
notes). Alia lay fome miles on the right-
hand.

40 Afta, or Afti, a Roman colony, is now
the capitaJ of a pieafant county, which, in
the fixteenth century, devolved to theDuke3
of Savoy (Leandro Alberti Defcrizzione
d'ltalia, p. 382.).

41 Nec me timorimpulit ullus. He might
hold this proud language the next year at
Rome, five hundred miles from the fcene of
danger (vi Conf. Hon. 449.) .

nity

i5o THE DECLINE AND FALL

C ^A1*' nity °f a capitulation, the Imperial captive was fuddenly relieved
v- — » by the fame, the approach, and at length the prefence of the hero,
whom he had fo long expected. At the head of a chofen and intrepid
vanguard, Stilicho fwam the ftream of the Addua, to gain the time
which he muft have loft in the attack of the bridge ; the paflage
of the Po was an enterprife of much lefs hazard and difficulty ; and
the fuccefsful action, in which he cut his way through the Gothic
camp under the walls of Afta, revived the hopes, and vindicated the
honour, of Rome. Inftead of grafping the fruit of his victory,
the Barbarian was gradually inverted, on every fide, by the
troops of the Weft, who fucceffively ifilied through all the partes of
the Alps ; his quarters were ftraightened ; his convoys were inter-
cepted ; and the vigilance of the Romans prq:>ared to form a chain
of fortifications, and to befiege the lines of the befiegers. A military
council was aflembled of the long-haired chiefs of the Gothic nation ;
of aged warriors, whofe bodies were wrapped in furs, and whofe
ftern countenances were marked with honourable wounds. They
weighed the glory of perfifting in their attempt againft the advan-
tage of fecuring their plunder ; and they recommended the prudent
meafure of a feafonable retreat. In this important debate, Alaric
riifplayed the fpirit of the conqueror of Rome ; and after he had
reminded his countrymen of their atchievements and of their defigns,
he concluded his animating fpeech, by the folemn and pofitive aflli-
rance, that he was refolved to find in Italy, either a kingdom, or a
grave *\

Pollen til ^e ^00^"e ^lircipline of the Barbarians always expofed them to
a. D. 403, tne danger of a furprife : but, inftead of chufing the diflblute hours

March 29.

41 Hanc ego vel viclor regno, vel morte the Gothic Neftor, and Achilles, are ftrong,
tenebo characleriftic, adapted to the circumltances;

Victus, humum and poffibly not lefs genuine than thofe of

The fpeeches (de Bell. Get. 479 — 549.) of Livy.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

of riot and Intemperance, Stilicho refolved to attack the Chrifiian c 11 A p*

r\. s\. /I •

Goths whilft they were devoutly employed in celebrating the feftival * **~J

of Eafter 43. The execution of the ftratagem, or, as it was termed
by the clergy, of the facrilege, was entrufted to Saul, a Barbarian and
a Pagan, who had ferved, however, with diftinguifhed reputation
among the veteran generals of Theodofius. The camp of the Goths,
which Alaric had pitched in the neighbourhood of Pollentia44, was
thrown into confuiion by the fudden and impetuous charge of the
Imperial cavalry ; but, in a few moments, the undaunted genius of
their leader gave them an order, and a field, of battle ; and, as foon
as they had recovered from their aftonimment, the pious confidence,
that the God of the Chriftians would afTert their caufe, added new
ftrength to their native valour. In this engagement, which was
long maintained with equal courage and fuccefs, the chief of the
Alani, whofe diminutive and favage form concealed a magnanimous
foul, approved his fufpeded loyalty, by the zeal with which he
fought, and fell, in the fervice of the republic ; and the fame of this
gallant Barbarian has been imperfectly preferved in the verfes of
Claudian, fince the poet, who celebrates his virtue, has omitted the
mention of his name. His death was followed by the flight and
difmay of the fquadrons which he commanded ; and the defeat of
the wing of cavalry might have decided the victory of Alaric, if
Stilicho had not immediately led the Roman and Barbarian infantry
to the attack. The fkill of the general, and the bravery of the fol-

43 Orofius (1. vii. c. 37.) is fhocked at the 4+ The veftiges of Pollentia are twenty-

impiety of the Romans, who attacked, on five miIes t0 the fouth.eaft of Turin. Urbs,

Eafter-Sundav, fuch pious Chriftians. Yet, • j. r ■ 1 l l j 11

, / • ' in the fame neighbourhood, was a rovalchace

at the fame time, public prayers were offered r. , . . CT . , , ' .

at the fhrine of St. Thomas of Edeffa, for the °f the £Df °f Lombardy» ™* * ^.all n-

deftruaion of the Arian robber. See Tille- ver' which excufed the Predifti°^ " P?»e-

mont (Hift. des Emp. torn. v. p. 529.), who " trabis ad urbem." (Cluver. Ital. Anriq.

quotes an homily, which has been erroneoufly torn. 1. p. 83 — S5.)

afcribed to St. Chryfollom.

1 diers,

»5* THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, diers, furmounted every obftacle. In the evening of the bloody day,
, -m- .7 the Goths retreated from the field of battle ; the intrenchments of
their camp were forced, and the fcene of rapine and flaughter made
fome atonement for the calamities which they had inflicted on
the fubjects of the empire 4S. The magnificent fpoils of Corinth
and Argos enriched the veterans of the Weft ; the captive wife of
Alaric, who had impatiently claimed his promife of Roman jewels
and Patrician handmaids46, was reduced to implore the mercy of
the infulting foe ; and many thoufand prifoners, releafed from the
Gothic chains, difperfed through the provinces of Italy the praifes of
their heroic deliverer. The triumph of Stilicho 47 was compared by
the poet, and perhaps by the public, to that of Marius ; who, in the
fame part of Italy, had encountered and deftroyed another army
of northern Barbarians. The huge bones, and the en pty hel-
mets, of the Cimbri and of the Goths, would eafily be confounded
by fucceeding generations ; and pofcerity might erect a common
trophy to the memory of the two raoft illuftrious generals, who had
vanquifhed, on the fame memorable ground, the two moft formidable
enemies of Rome 48.

Boldnefs and The eloquence of Claudian 49 has celebrated, with lavifh applaufe,
Alaric. ° ^ victory of Pollentia, one of the moft glorious days in the life of

45 Orofius wifhes, in doubtful words, to due to the moll fufpicious witneffes, who are
infinuate the defeat of the Romans. " Pug- checked by the recent notoriety of fafts.

" naiv.es vicimus, viftores vicTti fumus." 43 Claudian's peroration is ftrong and

^ Profper (in Chron.) makes it an equal and elegant; but the identity of the Cimbric and

bloody battle ; but the Gothic writers, Caf- Gothic fields, muft be underftood (like Vir-

fscdorius (in Chron.) and Jornandes (de gil's Philippi, Georgic i. 496.) according to

Reb. Get. c. 29. claim a decifive vi&cry. the loofe geography of a poet. Verce'la; and

46 Demens Aufonidurn gemmata monilia Poikntia are fi.xty miles from each other ; and

matrurn, * ' the latitude is fill 1 greater, if the Cimbri were

Romanafque aha famulas cervice petebat. defeated in the wide and barren plain of

De Bell. Get. 627. Verona (MarFei, Veror.a Illurtrata, P. i.

47 Claudian (de Bell. Get. 580—647.) p. 54-62..).

and Prudentius (in Symmach. ]. n. 694— 4J Claudian and Prudcntius muft be ftricrly
719.) celebrate, without ambiguity, the examined to reduce the figures, and extort
Reman victory of Por ntia. They are poe- the hiftcric fenfe of thofe poets.

tical and party writers ; yet fome credit is
2

his

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

his patron ; but his reluctant and partial mufe beftows more genuine
praife on the character of the Gothic king. His name is indeed
branded with the reproachful epithets of pirate and robber, to which
the conquerors of every age are fo juftly entitled ; but the poet of Sti-
licho is compelled to acknowledge, that Alaric pofTefTed the invincible
temper of mind, which rifes fuperior to every misfortune, and derives
new refources from adverfity. After the total defeat of his infantry,
he efcaped, or rather withdrew, from the field of battle, with the
greateft part of his cavalry entire and unbroken. Without wafting
a moment to lament the irreparable lofs of fo many brave compa-
nions, he left his victorious enemy to bind in chains the captive
images of a Gothic king 50 ; and boldly refolved to break
through the unguarded pafTes of the Apennine, to fpread defla-
tion over the fruitful face of Tufcany, and to conquer or die
before the gates of Rome. The capital was faved by the active and
i.nceffant diligence of Stilicho but he reflected the defpair of his
enemy ; and, inftead of committing the fate of the republic to the
chance of another battle, he propofed to purchafe the abfence of the
Barbarians. The fpirit of Alaric would have rejected fuch terms,
the permiffion of a retreat, and the offer of a penfion, with contempt
and indignation ; but he exercifed a limited and precarious authority
over the independent chieftains, who had raifed him, for their fer-
vice, above the rank of his equals ; they were frill lefs difpofed to
follow an unfuccefsful general, and many of them were tempted to
confult their intereft by a private negociation with the minifter of

Honorius. The king fubmitted to the voice of his people, ratified

j- - ■ fc ■ *

50 Et gravant en airain fes freles avan- images of kings and provinces, was familiar
tages to the Romans. The bull of Mithridatcs

De mes etats conquis enchainer les images, himfelf was twelve feet high, of mafly gold
The practice of -expofwig in triumph the (Freiafhem. Supplement Livian. ciii. 47.)-

- Vol. III. X the

*54

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C ?vv P* t^e treaty with the empire of the Weft, and repafled the Po, witfc

— v 1 the remains of the flourifhing army which he had led into Italy.

A confiderable part of the Roman forces ftill continued to attend his
motions; and Stilicho, who maintained a fecret correfpondence with
fome of the Barbarian chiefs, was punctually apprifed of the defigns
that were formed in the camp and council of Alaric. The king of
the Goths, ambitious to fignalife his retreat by fome fplendid at-
chievement, had refolved to occupy the important city of Verona*
which commands the principal paflage of the Rhcetian Alps ; and,
directing his march through the territories of thofe German tribes,
whofe alliance would reftore his exhaufted ftrength, to invade, on
the fide of the Rhine, the wealthy and unfufpecting provinces of
Gaul. Ignorant of the treafon, which had already betrayed his bold and
judicious enterprife, he advanced towards the pafTes of the moun-
tains, already pofieffed by the Imperial troops ; where he was expo-
fed, almoft at the fame inftant, to a general attack in the front, on
his flanks, and in the rear. In this bloody action, at a fmall dis-
tance from the walls of Verona, the lofs of the Goths was not lefs
heavy than that which they had fuftained in the defeat of Pol-
lentia ; and their valiant king, who efcaped by the fvviftnefs of his
horfe, muft either have been flain or made prifoner, if the hafty
rafhnefs of the Alani had not difappointed the meafures of the
Roman general. Alaric fecured the remains of his army on the ad-
jacent rocks ; and prepared himfelf, with undaunted refolution, to
maintain a fiege againfh the fuperior numbers of the enemy, who
inverted him on all fides. But he could not oppofe the deftructive
progrefs of hunger and difeafe ; nor was it poffible for him to check
the continual defertion of his impatient and capricious Barbarians.
In this extremity he ftill found refources in his own courage, or in
the moderation of his adverfary ; and the retreat of the Gothic

king

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 155

Icing was confidered as the deliverance of Italy s'.- Yet the people, c H A P.

A. aA,

and even the clergy, incapable of forming any rational judgment of ' — t

the bufinefs of peace . and war, prefumed to arraign the policy of
Stilicho, who fo often vanquifhed, fo often furrounded, and fo often
difmiffed the implacable enemy of the republic. The firft moment
of the public fafety is devoted to gratitude and joy ; but the fecond
is diligently occupied by envy and calumny s\

The citizens of Rome had been aflonifhed by the approach of The triumph
Alaric ; and the diligence with which they laboured to reftore the °t Rome*,1111*
walls of the capital, confeffed their own fears, and the decline of the A* D*
empire. After the retreat of the Barbarians, Honorius was directed
to accept the dutiful invitation of the fenate, and to celebrate, in
the Imperial city, the aufpieious nera of the Gothic victory, and of
his fixth confulfhip53. The fuburbs and the ftreets, from the Mil*-
vian bridge to the Palatine mount, were filled by the Roman people,
who, in the fpace of an hundred years, had only thrice been honoured
with the prefence of their fovereigns. While their eyes were fixed on
the chariot where Stilicho was defervedly feated by the fide of his royal
pupil, they applauded the pomp of a triumph, which was not ftained^
like that of Conftantine, or of Theodofms,with civil blood. The pro-
ceflion pafTed under a lofty arch, which had been purpofely erected :
but in lefs than feven years, the Gothic conquerors of Rome might
read, if they were able to read, the fuperb infcription of that monu-
ment, which attefted the total defeat and deftruction of their nation 5+.
The emperor refided feveral months in the capital, and every part of

51 The Getic war, and the fixth confulihip the fixth confulfhip of Honorius, defcribes

of Honorius, obfccrely connect the events the journey, the triumph, and the games

of Alaric's retreat and lofles. (330—660.).

51 Taceo de Alarico . . . fepe vido, fxpe U See the infcription in Mafcow's Hiftory

conclufo, femperque dimiflb. Orofius, 1. of the Ancient Germans, viii. 12. The

vii. c. 37. p. 567. Claudian (vi Conf. Hon. words are pofitive and indifcreet, Getarum

520.) drops the curtain with a fine image. nationem in omne a;vum domitam, &c.

" The remainder of Claudian 's poem on

X 2 his

THE DECLINE AND FALL

his behaviour was regulated with care to conciliate the affection of
the clergy, the fenate, and the people of Rome. The clergy way
edified by his frequent vifits, and liberal gifts, to the fhrines of the'
apoftles. The fenate, who, in the triumphal proceffionr had been
excufed from the humiliating ceremony of preceding on foot the
Imperial chariotr was treated with the decent reverence which Still —
cHo always affected lor that afTembly. The people was repeatedly
gratified by the attention and courtefy of Honorius in the public
games, which were celebrated on that occalion with a magnificence
not unworthy of the fpectator. As foon as the appointed number
of chariot-races was concluded, the decoration of the Circus was-
fuddenly changed ; the hunting of wild beafts afforded a various and
fplendid entertainment ; and the chace was fucceeded by a military
dance, which feems, in the lively defcription of Claudian, to prefent
the image of a modern tournament.

In thefe games of Honorius, the inhuman combats of gladiators 55
polluted, for the fctft time, the amphitheatre of Rome. The firft
Chriftian emperor may claim the honour of the firft edict, which
condemned the art and amufement of fhedding human blood 56 ; but
this benevolent law expreffed the wifhes of the prince, without re-
forming an inveterate abufe, which degraded a civilifed nation be-
low the condition of favage cannibals. Several hundred, perhaps
feveral thoufand, victims were annually flaughtered in the great cities
of the empire ; and the month of December, more peculiarly de-
voted to the combats of gladiators, ftill exhibited, to the eyes of the
Roman people, a grateful fpeclacle of blood and cruelty. Amidft
the general joy of the victory of Pollentia, a Chriftian poet exhorted

:s On the curious, though horrid, fubje£l 56 Cod. Theodof. 1. xv. tit. xii. leg. i»
mf the gladiator?, confult the two books of The Commentary of Godefroy affords large
the Saturnalia of Lipfius, who, as an anti- materials (torn. v. p. 396.) for the hiftory of
quartan, is inclined to excufe the practice of gladiators.
4/it:qui:y (torn. iii. p. 483 — 545 .).

the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

*57

the emperor to extirpate, by his authority, the horrid cuftom which c ^ A P.

had fo long refilled the voice of humanity and religion57. The pa- \ ^ — ■ '

thetic reprefentations of Prudentius were lefs effectual than the ge-
nerous bcldnefs of Telemachus, an Afiatic monk, whofe death was
more ufeful to mankind than his life 58. The Romans were provoked
by the interruption of their pleafures ; and the ram monk, who had
defcended into the arena, to feparate the gladiators, was overwhelmed
under a mower of ftones. But the madnefs of the people foon
fubfided ; they refpe&ed the memory of Telemachus, who had de-
fended the honours of martyrdom \ and they fubmitted, without a
murmur, to the laws of Honorius, which abolifhed for ever the
human lacrifices of the amphitheatre. The citizens, who adhered to
the manners of their ancefcors, might perhaps infinuate, that the
laft remains of a martial fpirit were preferved in this fchool of for-
titude, which accuftomed the Romans to the fight of blood, and
to the contempt of death : a vain and cruel prejudice, fo nobly
confuted by the valour of ancient Greece, and of modern Eu-

59 I

rope !

The recent danger, to which the perfon of the emperor had been Honorius

" r r . fixes his re*

expofed in the defencelefs palace of Milan, urged him to feek a re- fidence at
treat in fome inacceffible fortrefs of Italy, where he might fecurely a?D?4ou
remain, while the open country was covered by a deluge of Barba-
rians. On the coaft of the Hadriatic, about ten or twelve miles
from the moft fouthern of the feven mouths of the Po, the ThefTa-

57 See the peroration of Prudentius (in to the only monk who died a martyr in the
Symmach. 1. ii. 1121 — 1 131), who had caufe of humanity.

doubtlefs read the eloquent inventive of Lac- 59 Crudele gladiatorum fpeclaculum et in-

Uniius (Divin. Inftitut. 1. vi. c. 20.). The humanum nonnullh videri folet ; et baud fcia

Chriftian apologifts have not fpared thefe an ita fit, ut nunc fit1. Cicero Tufculan. ii.

bloody games, which were introduced in the 17. He faintly cenfures the abufe, and-

religious feftivals of Paganifm. warmly defends the ufe, of thefe fports ; ocu-

58 Theodoret, 1. v. c. 26. I wifh to believe lis nulla poterat effe fortior contra dolorem et
theftory of St. Telemachus. Vetno church mortem difciplina. Seneca (epiil. vii.) fhe\v»
lias been dedicated, no altar has been erected, the feelings of a man,

Hans -

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Hans had founded the ancient colony of Ravenna *°, which they
afterwards refigned to the natives of Umbria. Auguftus, who had
obferved the opportunity of the place, prepared, at the diftance of
three miles from the old town, a capacious harbour, for the recep-
tion of two hundred and fifty mips of War. This naval eftablifti-
ment, which included the arfenals and magazines, the barracks of
the troops, and the houfes of the artificers, derived its origin and
name from the permanent ftation of the Roman fleet ; the interme-
diate fpace was foon filled with buildings and inhabitants, and the
three extenfive and populous quarters of Ravenna gradually con-
tributed to form one of the mod important cities of Italy. The
principal canal of Auguftus poured a copious ftream of the waters
of the Po through the midft of the city, to the entrance of the har-
bour ; the fame waters were introduced into the profound ditches
that encompafled the walls ; they were diftributed, by a thoufand fub-
ordinate canals, into every part of the city, which they divided into
a variety of fmall iflands ; the communication was maintained only
by the ufe of boats and bridges ; and the houfes of Ravenna, whofe
appearance may be compared to that of Venice, were raifed on the
foundation of wooden piles. The adjacent country, to the diftance
of many miles, was a deep and impaflable morafs ; and the artificial
caufewav, which connected Ravenna with the continent, might
be eafily guarded, or deftroyed, on the approach of an hoftile
armv. Thefe morafles were interfperfed, however, with vineyards ;
and though the foil was exhaufted by four or five crops, the town

This account of Ravenna is drawn from Proccpios (de Bell. Gothic I. i. c. i. p. 509,

5:rabo (I. v. p. 327.), Pliny ;;iii. 20 ), S:e- edit Louvre), and Cluverius (Ital. Antiq.

phen of Byzantium (fubvoce pa£ — , p. 651. torn. i. p. 301 — 307.). Yet I lull want a

•edit. B?rkel.), Claudian (invi Conf. Honor, local antiquarian, and a good topographical

494., &c), Sidcnius ApolHnaris (!. i. epift. map.
v„ 8.), Jomandes (de Reb. Get. c. 29.),,

enjoyed ,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 159*
enjoyed a more plentiful fupply of wine than of frefli water 6\ The CHAP.

• k XXX*
air, inftead of receiving the hckly, and almoft peftilential, exhalations < , '

of low and marfhy grounds, was diilinguifhed, like the neighbour-
hood of Alexandria, as uncommonly pure and" falubrious ; and this
fmgular advantage was afcribed to the regular tides of the Hadriatic,
which fwept the canals, interrupted the unwholefome ftagnaiion of
the waters, and floated, every day, the veflels of the adjacent country
into the heart of Ravenna. The gradual retreat of the fea has left
the modern city at the diftance of four miles from the Hadriatic ;
and as early as the fifth or fixth century of the Chriftian sera,
the port of Auguftus was converted into pleafant orchards ; and a
lonely grove of pines covered the ground where the Roman fleet
once rode at anchor61. Even this alteration contributed to encreafe
the natural ftrength of the place ; and the fhallownets of the water
wTas a fufficient barrier againft the large fhips of the enemy. This
advantageous fituation was fortified by art and labour ; and in the
twentieth year of his age, the emperor of the Weft, anxious only
for his perfonal fafety, retired to the perpetual confinement of the
walls and moraffes of Ravenna. The example of Honorius was
imitated by his feeble fucceflbrs, the Gothic kings, and afterwards
the Exarchs, who occupied the throne and palace of the emperors ;
and, till the middle of the eighth century, Ravenna was confidered
as the feat of government, and the capital of Italy 63„

61 Martial (epigram iii. 56, 57.) plays on from Bocaccio (Giornata iii. rrovell viii.) was

the trick of the knave, who had fold him afted in the wood of CbiaJJi, a corrupt word

wine inftead of water ; but he ferioufly de- from Clajfis, the naval Aation, which, with

clares, that a ciftern, at Ravenna, is more the intermediate road or fuburb, the Via

valuable than avineyard. Sidonius complains Cafaris, conftituted the triple city of Ra-

that the town is deftitute of fountains and venna.

aqueducts ; and ranks the want of frelh 63 From the year 404, _the dates of the
water among the local evils, fuch as the Theodofian Code become fedentary at Con-
croaking of frogs, the flinging of gnats, flantinople and Ravenna. See Godefroy's
&c. Chronology of the Laws, torn. i. p. cxlviii.

61 The fable of Theodore and Honoria, &c.
which Dryden has fo admirably tranfplanted

2 * The-.

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c *1 A- P' The fears of Honorius were not .without foundation, nor were his

« v 1 precautions without effect. While Italy rejoiced in her deliverance

tionVof Scy- from the Goths, a furious tempeft was excited among the nations of
aTd 400 Germany, who yielded to the irrefiftible impulfe, that appears to
have been gradually communicated from the eaftern extremity of the
continent of Afia. The Chinefe annals, as they have been inter-
preted by the learned induftry of the prefent age, may be ufefully
applied to reveal the fecret and remote caufes of the fall of the Ro-
man empire. The extenfive territory to the north of the great
wall, wras pofleffed, after the flight of the Huns, by the victorious
Sienpi ; who were fometimes broken into independent tribes, and
fometimes re-united under a fupleme chief ; till at length "ftyling
themfelves Topa, or mafters of the earth, they acquired a more folid
confiftence, and a more formidable power. The Topa fcon com-
pelled the paftoral nations of the eaftern defert to acknowledge the
fuperiority of their arms ; they invaded China in a period of weak-
nefs and inteftine difcord ; and thefe fortunate Tartars, adopting the
laws and manners of the vanquished people, founded an Imperial
dynafty, which reigned near one hundred and fixty years over the
northern provinces of the monarchy. Some generations before they
afcended the throne of China, one of the Topa princes had en-
lifted in his cavalry a flave of the name of Moko, renowned for his
valour ; but who was tempted, by the fear of punifhment, to defert
his ftandard, and to range the defert at the head of an hundred fol-
lowers. This gang of robbers and outlaws fwelled into a camp, a
tribe, a numerous people, diftinguifhed by the appellation of Gcou-
gen ; and their hereditary chieftains, the pofterity of Moko the Have,
affumed their rank among the Scythian monarchs. The youth of
Toulun, the greateft of his defcendants, was exercifed by thofe mis-
fortunes which are the fchool of heroes. He bravely ftruggled with
adverfity, broke the imperious yoke of the Topa, and became the
legiflator of his nation, and the conqueror of Tartary. His troops

4 were

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 161

were diftributed into regular bands of an hundred and of a thoufand c A P.

men ; cowards were ftoned to death ; the moft fplendid honours * v

were propofed as the reward of valour ; and Toulun, who had

knowledge enough to defpife the learning of China, adopted only

fach arts and inftitutions as were favourable to the military fpirit

of his government. His tents, which he removed in the winter

feafon to a more fouthern latitude, were pitched, during the fummer,

on the fruitful banks of the Selinga. His conquefts ftretched from

Corea far beyond the river Irtifh. He vanquished, in the country

to the North of the Cafpian fea, the nation of the Hum ; and the

new title of Khan, or Cagan, expreffed the fame and power which

he derived from this memorable victory64.

The chain of events is interrupted, or rather is concealed, as it Emigration
paffes from the Volga to the Viftula, through the dark interval, t^Gt^t,
which feparates the extreme limits of the Chinefe, and of the Ro- A* D' 4°S*
man, geography. Yet the temper of the Barbarians, and the expe-
rience of fucceffive emigrations, fufficiently declare, that the Huns,
who were oppreffed by the arms of the Geougen, foon withdrew
from the prefence of an infulting victor. The countries towards
the Euxine were already occupied by their kindred tribes ; and their
hafty flight, which they foon converted into a bold attack, would
more naturally be directed towards the rich and level plains, through
which the Viftula gently flows into the Baltic fea. The North muft
again have been alarmed, and agitated, by the invafion of the
Huns ; and the nations who retreated before them, muft have prefix-
ed with incumbent weight on the confines of Germany 65. The
inhabitants of thofe regions, which the ancients have afligned to

*+ See M. de Guignes, Hilt, des Huns, the Palus Maeotis to the north of Germany,

torn. i. p. 179—189. torn. ii. p. 295. 334 — which he afcribes to famine. But his views

338. of ancient hiftory are ftrangely darkened by

65 Frocopius (de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. c.iii. ignorance and error,
p. 182.) has obferved an emigration from

Vol. III. Y the

THE DECLINE ANb FALL

the Suevi, the Vandals, and the Burgundians, might embrace thz
refolution of abandoning to the fugitives of Sarmatia, their woods
and morafles ; or at lead of difcharging their fuperfiuous numbers
on the provinces of the Roman empire 66. About four years after
the victorious Toulun had aflumcd the title of Khan of the Gcougen,
another Barbarian, the haughty Rhodogaft, or Radagaifus67, marched
from the northern extremities' of Germany aim oft to the gates of
Rome, and left the remains of his army to atchieve the deftruction
of the Weft. The Vandals, the Suevi, and the Burgundians, formed
the ftrength of this mighty hoft ; but the Alani, who had found an
hofpitable reception in their new feats, added their active cavalry to
the heavy infantry of the Germans ; and the Gothic adventurers
crowded fo eagerly to the ftandard of Radagaifus, that, by fomc
hiftorians he has been ftyled the King of the Goths. Twelve thou-*
fand warriors, diftinguimed above the vulgar by their noble birth,
or their .valiant deeds, glittered in the van 68 ; and the whole mul-»
titude, which was not lefs than two hundred thoufand fighting men,
might be increafed, by the acceftion of women, of children, and of
(laves, to the amount of four hundred thoufand perfons. This formic
dable emigration, iffued from the fame coaft of the Baltic, which had
poured forth the myriads of theCimbri and Teutones, to affault Rome
and Italy in the vigour of the republic. After the departure of
thofe Barbarians, their native country, which was marked by the
veftiges of their greatnefs, long ramparts, and gigantic moles69, re-r-

*6 Zofimus (1. v. p. 331.} ufes the general probable that the Barbarians mould wor/hip

dr;f:ription of, the nations beyond the Da- an unfuccefsful hero. See Mafcou, Hill, of

nube and the Rhine. Their fituation, and the Germans, viii. 14.

con fcquently their names, are manifeftly 68 Olympiodorus (apud Photium, p. 180.)

Ihewn, even in the various epithets which ufes the Latin word, 0?™?.*™ ; which does

each ancient writer may have cafually add- not convey any prccife idea. I fufpeft thai

e(j they were the princes and nobles, with their

" The name of Rhadagaft was that of a faithful companions ; the knights with their

local deity of the Obotrites (in Mecklen- 'fquires, as they would have been ftyled fome

burgh). A hero might naturally affume the centuries afterwards.

appellation of his tutelar god ; but it is not 69 Tacit, de Moribm Germanorum, c. 37.

1 mainedj

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

lnained, during fome ages, a vaft and dreary folitude ; till the hu- c gj£- P.

man fpecies was renewed by the powers of generation, and the < — ■ '

vacancy was rilled by the influx of new inhabitants. The nations
who now ufurp an extent of land, which they are unable to culti-
vate, would foon be affifted by the induftrious poverty of their
neighbours, if the government of Europe did not protect the claims
of dominion and property.

The correfpondence of nations was, in that acre, fo imperfect and Rad,i?aifiis

r 1 ° 7 r invades Itajy,

precarious, that the revolutions of the North might efcape the A. D. 406.
knowledge of the court of Ravenna ; till the dark cloud, which
was collected along the coaft of the Baltic, burft in thunder upon
the banks of the Upper Danube. The emperor of the Weft, if his
minifters difturbed his amufements by the news of the impending
danger, was fatisfied with being the occafion, and the fpectator of
the war 7°. The fafety of Rome was entrufted to the counfels, and
the fword, of Stilicho ; but fuch was the feeble and exhaufted ftatc
of the empire, that it was impoflible to reftore the fortifications of
the Danube, or to prevent, by a vigorous effort, the invafion of the
Germans 7\ The hopes of the vigilant minifter of Honorius were
confined to the defence of Italy. He once more abandoned the
provinces, recalled the troops, preffed the new levies, which were
rigoroufly exacled, and pufillanimoufly eluded ; employed the moft
efficacious means to arreft, or allure, the deferters ; and offered the gift
of freedom, and of two pieces of gold, to all the flaves who would

70 Cujus agendi war, and the vidlory of Stilicho, beyond the

Spectator vel caufa fui. Danube. A ftrange error, which is awk-

Claudian, vi Conf. Hon. 439. wardly and imperfc&ly cured, by reading

is the modeft language of Honorius, in fpeak- a^, for Irf«> (Tillemont, Hift. des Eirp.

ing of the Gothic war, which he had feen torn. v. p. 807.). In good policy, we mull

fomewhat nearer. ufe the fervice of Zofimus, without efteem-

T< Zofimus (1. v. p. 331.) tranfports the ing or trufting him.

Y 2 eafift

164

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H^A P. enlift "t By thefe efforts he painfully colleded, from the fubjeds
<■ „ ' of a great empire, an army of thirty or forty thoufand men,
which, in the days of Scipio or Camillus, would have been in-
ftantly furnifhed by the free citizens of the territory of Rome73.
The thirty legions of Stilicho were reinforced by a large body of
Barbarian auxiliaries ; the faithful Alani were perfonally attached to
his fervice ; and the troops of Huns and of Goths, who marched
under the banners of their native princes, Huldin and Sarus, were
animated by intereft and refentment to oppofe the ambition of Ra-
dagaifus. The king of the confederate Germans pafl'ed, without
refiftance, the Alps, the Po, and the Apennine : leaving on one hand
the inacceffible palace of Honorius, fecurely buried among the
marines of Ravenna ; and, on the other, the camp of Stilicho, who
had fixed his head-quarters at Ticinum, or Pavia, but who feems to
have avoided a decifive battle, till he had affembled his diftant
forces. Many cities of Italy were pillaged, or deftroyed ; and the
BefiegesFlo- fiege of Florence74, by Radagaifus, is one of the earlier! events in
the hiftory of that celebrated republic ; whofe firmnefs checked and
delayed the unfkilful" fury of the Barbarians. The fenate and people
trembled at their approach within an hundred and eighty miles of
Rome ; and anxioufly compared the danger which they had efcaped^

71 Codex Theodof. 1. vii. tit. xiii. leg. 16. This declaration may puzzle an antiquary,

The date of this law (A.D. 406, May 18.) but it is clearly explained by Montefquiea.
fatisfies me, as it had done Godefroy (torn. ii. 7* Machiavel has explained, at leaft as a

p. 387), of the true year of the invafion of philofopher, the origin of Florence, which.

Radagaifus. Tillemont, Pagi, and Mura- infenfibly defcendcd, for the benefit of trade,

tori, prefer the preceding year ; but they are from the rock of F.rfulae to the banks of the

bound, by certain obligations of civility and Arno (Iftjria Florentina, torn. i. 1. ii. p. 36.

refpecl, to St. Paulinus of Nola. Londra, 1747.). The Triumvirs lent a co-

73 Soon after Rome had been taken by the lony to Florence, which, under Tiberius

Gauls, the fenate, on a fudden emergency, (Tacit. Annal. i. 79.), deferved the repu-

armed ten legions, 3000 horfe, and 42,000 tation and name of a f.ourijbing city. See

foot; a force which the city could not have Cluver. ltal. Anriu. torn. i. p. 507, &c.
fent forth, under Augultus (Livy, vii. 25.).

with

rence,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

with the new perils to which they were expofed. Alaric was a c A p-
Chriftian and a foldier, the leader of a difciplined army ; who un- <— v — -»
derftood the laws of war, who refpected the fanctity of treaties, and
who had familiarly converfed with the fubjects of the empire in
the fame eamps, and the fame churches. The favage Radagaifus
was a ftranger to the manners, the religion, and even the language,
of the civilifed nations of the South. The fiercenefs of his temper
was exafperated by cruel fuperflition ; and it was univerfally be-
lieved, that he had bound himfelf, by a folemn vow, to reduce the and threatens
city into a heap of {tones and allies, and to facrifice the mod illuf-
trious of the Roman fenators, on the altars of thofe gods, who were
appeafed by human blood. The public danger, which mould have
reconciled all domeftic animofities, difplayed the incurable madnefs
of religious faction. The opprelfed votaries of Jupiter and Mer-
cury refpe£ted, in the implacable enemy of Rome, the character
of a devout Pagan ; loudly declared, that they were more apprehen-
five of the facrifices, than of the arms, of Radagaifus; and fecretly
rejoiced in the calamities of their country, which condemned the
faith of their Chriftian adverfaries '\

Florence was reduced to the laft extremity ; and the fainting cou- Defeat and
rage of the citizens was -fupported only by the authority of St. ' his army by
Ambrcfe ; who had communicated, in a dream, the promife of A-D.40&
a fpeedy deliverance 76. On a Hidden they beheld, from their walls,
the banners of Stilicho, who advanced, with his united force, to the
relief of the faithful city ; and who foon marked that fa'al fpot for
the grave of the Barbarian haft. The apparent contradictions of

75 Yet the Jupiter of Radagaifus, who 76 Paulinus (in Vit. Ambrof. c. 50.) re-

worfhipped Thor and Woden, was very dif- lates this ftory, which he received from the

ferent froiM the Olympi' or Capitoline Jove, mouth of Pa ifophia herfelf, a religious ma-

The accommodating temper of Polytheifm tron of Florence. Yet the arch hi (hop fcon

might unite thofe various and remote cuties ; ceafed to trke an active part in the bulinefs

but the genuine Romans abhorred the hu- of the world, and never became a popular

man facrifices of Gaul and Germany. faint.

thofe

1 66

tHE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, thofe writers who varioufly relate the defeat of Radagaifus, may Le
i - reconciled, without offering much violence to their refpective teftimo-

hies. Orofius and Auguftin, who were intimately connected by friend-
fhip and religion, afcribe this miraculous victory to the providence of
God, rather than to the valour of man77. They ftrictly exclude
every idea of chance, or even of bloodfhed ; and pofitively affirm,
that the Romans, whofe camp was the fcene of plenty and idlenefs,
enjoyed the diftrefs of the Barbarians, flowly expiring on the fharp
and barren ridge of the hills of Faeful?e, which rife above the city
of Florence. Their extravagant afiertion, that not a fingle foldier
of the Chriftian army was killed, or even wounded, may be dif-
miffed with filent contempt; but the reft of the narrative of Auguftin
and Orofius is confiftent with the ft ate of the war, and the charac-
ter of Stilicho. Confcious that he commanded the laji army of the
republic, his prudence would not expofe it, in the open field, to the
headftrong fury of the Germans. The method of furrounding the
enemy with ftrong lines of circumvallation, which he had twice
employed againft the Gothic king, was repeated on a larger fcale,
and with more confiderable effect. The examples of Ccefar muft
have been familiar to the moft illiterate of the Roman warriors j
and the fortifications of Dyrrachium, which connected twenty-four
caftles, by a perpetual ditch and rampart of fifteen miles, afforded
the model of an intrenchment which might confine, and ftarve, the
moft numerous hoft of Barbarians 78. The Roman troops' had lefs

77 Auguftin de Civitat. Dei, v. 23. Oro- Duck opus: pandit foffas, turritaque fum-

mis

TiJis, 1. vii. c. 37. p. 567 — 571. The two

friends wrote in Africa, ten or twelve years Difponit caflella jugis, magnoque recefm

after the vi&cry ; and th^ir authority is im- , - - , .. -

,. . , ... V 1 t/-j e n -ii Amplexus fines: faltus nemorofaque tef-

pliculy followed by lfidcre or beville (in 1 *

Chron. p. 7 13. edit. Grot.). How many in- <3ua

terefting fafts might Orofius have inferted in Et fi!vas> vaftaque feras indagine ciaudit,

the vacant fpace which is devoted to pious Yet the fimplicity of truth (Ca;far, de Bell,

nonfenfe ! Civ. iii. 44.) is far greater than the ampli-

Franguntur montcs, planumque per ncations of Lucan (Pharfal. 1. vi. 29- 63.).
ardua Caefar

degenerated

Or THE ROMAN EMPIRE. fGy

degenerated from the induftry, than from the valour, cf -their an- c ,HXA p*
ceflors ; and if the fervile^and laborious work offended the pride of
the foldiers, Tufcany could fupply many thoufand pcafant.% who
would labour, though, perhaps, they would not fight, for the falva-
rion of their native country: The imprifoned multitude of horfes
and men79 was gradually destroyed by famine, rather than by the
fword ; but the Romans were expofed, during the progrefs of fuch
an extenfive work, to the frequent attacks of an impatient enemv.
The defpair of the hungry Barbarians would precipitate them againft
the fortifications of Stilicho ; the general might fometimes indulge
the ardour of his brave auxiliaries, who eagerly prefled to affault the
-camp of the Germans ; and thefe various incidents might produce
the fliarp and bloody conflicts which dignify the narrative of Zofi-
mus, and the Chronicles of Profper and Marcellinus £°. A feafonable
fupply of men and provifions had been introduced into the walls of
Florence ; and the famifhed hoft of Radagaifus was in its turn befieged.
The proud monarch of fo many warlike nations, after the lofs of his
braved warriors, was reduced to confide either in the faith of a
capitulation, or in the clemency of Stilicho 8I. But the death of the
royal captive, who was ignominioufly beheaded, difgraced the tri-
umph of Rome and of Chriftianity ; and the fhort delay of his
execution was fufficient to brand the conqueror with the guilt of
cool and deliberate cruelty 8 . The famifhed Germans, who efcaped
the fury of the auxiliaries, were fold as flaves, at the contemptible

" The rhetorical expreflions of Orofius, ufes an expreflion {v&rvniffmn*^ which

" In arido et afpero montis jugo ;" " in would denote a Arid and friendly alliance

" unum ac parvum verticem," are not very and render Stilicho ftill more criminal. The

fuitable to the encampment of a great army, pauiifper detentus,deinde interfedus of Oro-

But Faefulae, only three miles from Florence, fms, is fufiiciently odious,
wight aftbrd fpace for the head-quarters of 82 Orofius, pioufly inhuman, facrifices the

Radagaifus, and would be comprehended king and people, Agag and the Amalekite<

within the circuit of the Roman lines. without a fymptom of companion. The

80 See Zofimus, 1. v. p. 331. and the bloody ador is lefs deteftable than the cool

chronicles of Profper and Marcellinus. unfeeling hiftorian,
Olympiodorus (ap-ud Photiutn, p. j8o.)

price

l68 THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H A P. pnCC of as many fingle pieces of gold : but the difference of food

XXX.

i ■ „' and climate fwept away great numbers of thofe unhappy ftrangers ;

and it was obfervcd, that the inhuman purchafers, inftead of reaping
the fruits of their labour, were foon obliged to provide the expence
of their interment. Stilicho informed the emperor and the fenate
of his fuccefs ; and deferved, a fecond time, the glorious title of De-
liverer of Italy u.

The remain- The fame of the victory, and more efpecially of the miracle, has
Germans!*,- encouraged a vain perfualion, that the whole army, or rather na-
A D 406 ti°n> pf Germans, who migrated from the mores of the Baltic, mi-
December3i. ferably periflied under the walls of Florence. Such indeed was the
fate of Radagaifus himfelf, of his brave and faithful companions,
and of more than one-third of the various multitude of Sueves and
Vandals, of Alani and Burgundians, who adhered to the ftandard of
their general s+. The union of fuch an army might excite our fur-
prife, but the caufes of feparation are obvious and forcible ; the
pride of birth, the infolence of valour, the jealoufy of command,
the impatience of fubordination, and the obftinate conflict of opi-
nions, of interests, and of pafhons, among fo many kings and war-
riors, who were untaught to yield, or to obey. After the defeat of
Radagaifus, two parts of the German hoft, which muft have exceeded
the number of one hundred thoufand men, Hill remained in arms,
between the Apennine and the Alps, or between the Alps and the
Danube. It is uncertain whether they attempted to revenge the
death of their general ; but their irregular fury was foon diverted by

83 And Claudian's mufe, was me afleep ? worthily furnamed the fourth founder of

had flic been ill paid ? Methinks the feventh Rome.

confullhip of Honorius (A.D. 407.) would * A luminous pafTage of Profper's Chro-

have furnifhed the fubjeft of a noble poem, nicle, K In tret partet, per diwr/os principes,

Before it was difcovered that the ftate could " divifus exercitus" reduce the miracle of

no longer be faved, Stilicho (after Romulus, Florence, and connects the hiltory of Italy,

Cauiillus, and Marius) might have been Gaul, and Germany.

3 the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

i6(j

the prudence and firmnefs of Stilicho, who oppofed their march, and c H ^ P.

X X x«

facilitated their retreat ; who confidered the fafety of Rome and < . »

Italy as the great object of his care, and who facrificed, with too
much indifference, the wealth and tranquillity of the diftant pro-
vinces85. The Barbarians acquired, from the junction of foine
Pannonian deferters, the knowledge of the country, and of the
roads ; and the invafion of Gaul, which Alaric had defigned, wa 3
executed by the remains of the great army of Radagaifus 86.

Yet if they expected to derive any affiftance from the tribes of
Germany, who inhabited the banks of the Rhine, their hopes were
difappointed. The Alemanni preferved a ftate of inactive neutrality ;
and the Franks diftinguifhed their zeal and courage in the defence of
the empire. In the rapid progrefs down the Rhine, which was the
firft act of the adminiftration of Stilicho, he had applied himfelf,
with peculiar attention, to fecure the alliance of the warlike Franks,
and to remove the irreconcileable enemies of peace and of the re-
public. Marcomir, one of their kings, was publicly convicted, before
the tribunal of the Roman magiftrate, of violating the faith of trea-
ties. He was fentenced to a mild, but diftant, exile, in the province
of Tufcany ; and this degradation of the regal dignity was fo far
from exciting the refentment of his fubjects, that they puniflied with
death the turbulent Sunno, who attempted to revenge his brother ;
and maintained a dutiful allegiance to the princes, who were efta-

Ss Orofius and Jerom pofitively charge ris, 1772.); an elaborate work, which I had

him with inftigating the invafion. " Exci- not the advantage of perufing till the year

** tats a Stilichone gentes," &c. They 1777. As early as 1771, I find the fame

muft mean indirefily. He faved Italy at the idea exprefled in a rough draught of the pre-

expence of Gaul. fent Hiftory. I have fir.ce obferved a fimilar

86 The Count de Buat is fatisfied, that the intimation in Mafcou (viii. 15.). Such

Germans who invaded Gaul were the two- agreement, without mutual communication,

thirds that yet remained of the army of Ra- may add fome weight to our common fen-

dagaifus. See the Hiftoire Ancienne des Peu- timent.
pies de l'Europe (torn. vii. p. 87 — 121. Pa-

Vol. Ill, Z bliihcd

THE DECLINE AND FALL

blifhed on the throne by the choice of Stilicho 8?. When the limits
of Gaul and Germany were fhaken by the northern emigration, the
Franks bravely encountered the fingle force of the Vandals ; who,
regardlefs of the leflbns of adverfity, had again feparated their
troops from the ftandard of their Barbarian allies. They paid the
penalty of their rafhnefs ; and twenty thoufand Vandals, with
their king Godigifclus, were flain in the field of battle. The whole
people muft have been extirpated, if the fquadrons of the Alani,
advancing to their relief, had not trampled down the infantry
of the Franks ; who, after an honourable refiftance, were compelled
to relinquish the unequal conteft. The victorious confederates pur-
fued their march, and on the laft day of the year, in a feafon when
the waters of the Rhine were moft probably frozen, they entered,
without oppofition, the defenceleis provinces of Gaul. This memo-
rable paffage of the Suevi, the Vandals, the Alani, and the Burgun-
dians, who never afterwards retreated, may be confidered as the
fall of the Roman empire in the countries beyond the Alps ; and
the barriers, which had fo long feparated the favage and the civil—
ifed nations of the earth, were from that fatal moment levelled with,
the ground s\

While the peace of Germany was fecured by the attachment of
the Franks, and the neutrality of the Alemanni, the fubjects of Rome,
unconfeious of their approaching calamities, -enjoyed the ftate of quiet
and profperity, which had feldom bleffed the frontiers of Gaul.

Provincia mifibs good materials, which he did not under-

Expellet cuius fafces, quam Franci a reges Hand.

Quos dedcris. « See Zofimus (1. vi. p. 373 ), Orofius

Ciaudian (1 Conf. S:il. 1. i. 2 35, &c.) is (1. vii. c. 40. p. 576 ), and the Chronicles,

clear and fatis factory. Thefe kingsof France Gregory of Tours (1. ii. c. 9. p. 165. in the

are unknown to Gregory of Tours ; but the fecond volume of the Hiftorians of France)

author of the Gefta Francorum mentions has preferved a valuable fragment of Rena-

both Sunno and Marcomir, and names the tus Profuturus Frigeridus, whofe three names

latter as the father of pharamond (in denote a Chriftian, a Roman fubjeel, and a

torn. ii. p. 543.). He feems to write from Semi-barbarian.

Their

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. i7i

Their flocks and herds were permitted to graze in the paftures of c h a p.
the Barbarians; their huntfmen penetrated, without fear or danger, ■ . __r
into the darkeft recefles of the Hercynian wood 89. The banks of the
Rhine were crowned, like thofe of the Tyber, with elegant houfes
and well-cultivated farms ; and if a poet defcended the river, he
might exprefs his doubt, on which fide was fituated the territory of
the Romans 9°. This fcene of peace and plenty was fuddenly changed
into a defert ; and the profpect of the fmoking ruins could alone diftin-
guifh the folitude of nature from the defolation of man. The flou-
rifhing city of Mentz was furprifed and deftroyed; and many
thoufand Chriftians were inhumanly mafTacred in the church. Worms
perifhed after a long and obftinate fiege ; Strafburgh, Spires, Rheims,
Tournay, Arras, Amiens, experienced the cruel opprefTion of the
German yoke ; and the confuming flames of war fpread from the
banks of the Rhine over the greateft part of the feventeen provinces
of Gaul. That rich and extenfive country, as far as the ocean, the
Alps, and the Pyrenees, was delivered to the Barbarians, who drove
before them, in a promifcuous crowd, the bifhop, the fenator, and the
virgin, laden with the fpoils of their houfes and altars91. The ec-
clefiaftics, to whom we are indebted for this vague defcription of
the public calamities, embraced the opportunity of exhorting the
Chriftians to repent of the fins which had provoked the Divine
, Juftice, and to renounce the perifhable goods of a wretched and

89 Claudian (1 Conf. Stil. 1. i. 221. &c. Claudian is not prepared for the flrid exa-

1. ii. 186.) defcribes the peace and profperity mination of our antiquaries.

of the Gallic frontier. The Abbe Dubos 90 Geminafquc viator

(Hift. Critique, &c. torn. i. p. 174.) would Cum videat ripas, qux fit Romana requirat.

read Alba (a namelefs rivulet of the Arden- 91 Jerom, torn. i. p. 93. See in the ift

nes) inftead of Albis ; and expatiates on the vol. of the Hiilorians of France, p. 777.

danger of the Gallic cattle grazing beyond 782. the proper extracts from the Carmen de

the E/be. Foolilh enough ! In poetical geo- Providentia Divina, and Salvian. The ano-

graphy, the Elbe, and the Hercynian, fig- nymous poet was himfelf a captive, with his

nify any river, or any wood, in Germany, bifhop and fellow-citizens.

Z 2 deceitful

i;2 THE DECLINE AND FALL

c p* deceitful world. But as the Pelagian controverfy", which attempts

« v ! to found the abyfs of grace and predeftination, foon became the fe-

rious employment of the Latin clergy ; the Providence which had
decreed, or forefeen, or permitted, fuch a train of moral and natural
evils, was raihly weighed in the imperfect: and fallacious balance
of reafon. The crimes, and the misfortunes, of the fuffenng peo-
ple, were prefumptuoufly compared with thofe of their anceitors;.
and they arraigned the Divine juftice, which did not exempt
from the common deftruction the feeble, the guiltlefs, the infant por-
tion of the human fpecies. Thefe idle difputants overlooked the
invariable laws of nature, which have connected peace with inno-
cence, plenty with induftry, and fafety with valour. The timid and
felfifh policy of the court of Ravenna might recal the Palatine legions
for the protection of Italy ; the remains of the ftationary troops
might be unequal to the arduous tafk ; and the Barbarian auxiliaries
might prefer the unbounded licence of fpoil to the benefits of a mo-
derate and regular ftipend. But the provinces of Gaul were filled
with a numerous race of hardy and robuft youth, who, in the de-
fence of their houfes, their families, and their altars, if they had
dared to die, would have deferved to vanquiih. The knowledge of
their native country would have enabled them to oppofe continual
and infuperable obftacles to the progrefs of an invader ; and the
deficiency of the Barbarians, in arms as well as in difcipline, removed
the only pretence which excufes the fubmiflion of a populous coun-
try to the inferior numbers of a veteran army. When France was
invaded by Charles the Fifth, he enquired of a prifoner, how many
days Paris might be diftant from the frontier j " Perhaps twelve^ but

»' The Pelagian do&rice, which was firft Greek church was favourable to his adverfa-
agitrted A. D. 405, was condemned, in the ries ; and (what is Angular enough) the peo-
fpace of ten years, at Rome and Carthage, pie did not take any part in a difpute which
St. Auguftin fought and conquered : but the they could not underiland.

" they

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

"73

" they will be days of battle*1:" fuch was the gallant anfwer which c H £ p.

checked the arrogance of that ambitious prince. The fubjects of v . .-/

Honorius, and thofe of Francis L, were animated by a very different
fpirit ; and in. lefs than two years, the divided troops of the favages
of the Baltic, whofe numbers, were they fairly ftated, would appear
contemptible, advanced, without a combat, to the foot of the Pyre-
naean mountains.

In the early part of the reign of Honorius, the vigilance of Stilicho Revolt of the
had fuccefsfully guarded the remote ifland of Britain from her incef- A. D. 407/
fant enemiesoof the ocean, the mountains, and the Irifh coaft 9\ But
thofe reftlefs Barbarians could not neglect the fair opportunity of the
Gothic war, when the walls and ftations of the province were ftripped
of the Roman troops. If any of the legionaries were permitted
to return from the Italian expedition, their faithful report of the
court and character of Honorius muft have tended to diiTolve the
bonds of allegiance, and to exafperate the feditious temper of the
Britifh army. The fpirit of revolt, which had formerly diflurbed
the age of Gallienus, was revived by the capricious violence of the
foldiers ; and the unfortunate, perhaps the ambitious, candidates,
who were the objects of their choice, were the inftrurnents, and at
length the victims, of their paffion 9*. Marcus was the firft whom
they placed on the throne, as the lawful emperor of Britain, and of

9* See the Memoires de Guillaume du Bel- tant in the ninth century, mud have contain -

lav, 1. vi. In French, the original reproof is ed as many thoufand lies; yet we may be-

Jefs obvious, and more pointed, from the lieve, that, in one of thefe Irif.. inroad?, the

double fenfe of the word jcurnee, which alike future apofde was led away captive (U!her,

fjgnifies, a day's travel, or a battle Antiquit. Ecclef. Britar.n. p. 431. and Til-

93 Claudian (iConf. Stil. 1. ii. 250.). It lemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. xvi. p. 456.

is fuppofed, that the Scots of Ireland invaded, 782, &c. ).

by fea, the whole weftern coall of Britain : and 94 The Britifh ufurpers are taken frcm Zo-

fome flight credit may be given even to Nen- fimus (1. vi. p. 371 — 575-)' Orofius (1. vii.

rius and the Irifh traditions (Carte's Hid. of c. 40. p. 5-6, 577.), Olym; icdo! us (;>pud

England, vol. i. p. 169. Whitaker's Ge- I'hotuim, p. i3o, 181.), the ecclefiaftical

Duine Hiftory of the Britons, p. 199.). The hiitorians, and the Chronicles. The Lriti::s

lixty-fix lives of St. Patrick, which were ex- are ignorant of Marcus.

8- . the

174

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XXX.

Conftantine
is acknow-
ledged in
Britain and
Gaul,

A. D. 407.

the Weft. They violated, by the hafty murder of Marcus, the oath
of fidelity which they had impofed on themfelves ; and their difap-
probation of his manners may feem to infcribe an honourable epi-
taph on his tomb. Gratian was the next whom they adorned with
the diadem and the purple ; and, at the end of four months, Gra-
tian experienced the fate of his predecefTbr. The memory of the
great Conftantine, whom the Britifh legions had given to the church
and to the empire, fuggefted the fingular motive of their third choice.
They difcovered in the ranks a private foldier of the name of Con-
ftantine ; and their impetuous levity had already feated him on the
throne, before they perceived his incapacity to fuflain the weight of
that glorious appellation 9S. Yet the authority of Conftantine was lefs
precarious, and his government was more fuccefsful, than the tran-
fient reigns of Marcus and of Gratian. The danger of leaving his
inactive troops in thofe camps, which had been twice polluted with
blood and fedition, urged him to attempt the reduction of the Weftern
provinces. He landed at Boulogne with an inconfiderable force ;
and after he had repofed himfelf fome days, he fummoned the cities
of Gaul, which had efcaped the yoke of the Barbarians, to acknow-
ledge their lawful fovereign. They obeyed the fummons without
reluctance. The neglect of the court of Ravenna had abfolved a
deferted people from the duty of allegiance ; their actual diftrefs en-
couraged them to accept any circumftances of change, without appre-
henfion, and, perhaps, with fome degree of hope ; and they might
flatter themfelves, that the troops, the authority, and even the
name of a Roman emperor, who fixed his refidence in Gaul, would
protect the unhappy country from the rage of the Barbarians. The
Jirft fuccefles of Conftantine againft the detached parties of the Ger-

9S Cum in Conftantino inconftanticm . . -
execrarentur (Sidonius Apollinaris, 1. v.
jspift. 9. p. 139. edit, fecund. Sirmond.).

Yet Sidonius might be tempted, by fo fair a
pun, to ftigmatife a prince, who had dis-
graced his grandfather.

mans,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. i7i

mans, were magnified by the voice of adulation into fplendid and CHAP,
decifive victories ; which the re-union and infolence of the enemy v. ■■ ^ ■ „j
foon reduced to their juft value. His negociations procured a fhort
and precarious truce ; and if fome tribes of the Barbarians were en-
gaged, by the liberality of his gifts and promifes, to undertake the
defence of the Rhine, thefe expenfive and uncertain treaties, inftead
of reftoring the priftine vigour of the Gallic frontier, ferved only
to difgrace the majefty of the prince, and to exhauft what yet re-
mained of the treafures of the republic. Elated however with this
imaginary triumph, the vain deliverer of Gaul advanced into the
provinces of the South, to encounter a more prefling and perfonal
danger. Sarus the Goth was ordered to lay the head of the rebel
at the feet of the emperor Honorius ; and the forces of Britain and
Italy were unworthily confumed in this domeflic quarrel. After the
lofs of his two braveft generals^ Juftinian and Nevigaftes, the former
of whom was flain in the field of battle, the latter in a peaceful
but treacherous interview, Conftantine fortified himfelf within the
walls of Vienna. The place was ineffectually attacked feven days ;
and the Imperial army fupported, in a precipitate retreat, the igno-
miny of purchafing a lecure pafTage from the freebooters and out- ♦
laws of the Alps 96. Thofe mountains now feparated the dominions
of two rival monarchs : and the fortifications of the double frontier
• were guarded by the troops of the empire, whofe arms would have
been more ufefully employed to maintain the Roman limits againft
the Barbarians of Germany and Scythia.

On the fide of the Pyrenees, the ambition of Conftantine might He reduces
be juftified by the proximity of danger ; but his throne was foon aTd.' 40?,
eftablifhed by the conqueft, or rather fubmiffion, of Spain j which

95 BagaudiS is the name which Zofimus tique, torn. t. p. 203. and this Hiftory, vol.
applies to them; perhaps they deferved a i. p. 429. third edit.). We fliall hear of them,
lefs odious character (fee Dubos, Hift. Cri- again.

,y6 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, yielded to the influence of regular and habitual fubordination, and

XXX.

\_ > received the laws and magiftrates of the Gallic prefecture. The only

oppofition which was made to the authority of Conftantine, pro-
ceeded not fo much from the powers of government, or the fpirit of
the people, as from the private zeal and intereft of the family of
Theodofms. Four brothers 97 had obtained, by the favour of their
kinfman, the deceafed emperor, an honourable rank, and ample
pofleflions, in their native country : and the grateful youths refolved
to rifle thofe advantages in the fervice of his fon. After an unfuc-
ccfsful effort to maintain their ground at the head of the ftationary
troops of Lufitania, they retired to their eftates ; where they armed
and levied, at their own expence, a confiderable body of flaves and
dependents, and boldly marched to occupy the ftrong ports of the
Pyrenazan mountains. This domeftic infurrection alarmed and per-
plexed the fovereign of Gaul and Britain ; and he was compelled to
negociate with fome troops of Barbarian auxiliaries, for the fervice
of the Spanifh war. They were diftinguifhed by the title of Hotio-
rians 98 ; a name which might have reminded them of their fidelity
to their lawful fovereign ; and if it mould candidly be allowed that
' the Scots were influenced by any partial affection for a Britifh prince,
the Moors and the Marcomanni could be tempted only by the pro-
fufe liberality of the ufurper, who diflributed among the Barbarians
the military, and even the civil, honours of Spain. The nine bands
of Honorians, which may be eafily traced on the eftablifhment of the
Weftern empire, could not exceed the number of five thoufand
men ; yet this inconsiderable force was fumcient to terminate a war,

97 Verinianus, Didymus, Theodofius, and two of Marcomanni, the Victores, the Afcarii,

Lagodius, who, in modern courts, would be and the Gallicani (Notitia Imperii, fedt.

ftyled princes of the blood, were not diftin- xxxviii. edit. Lab.). They were part of the

guiftied by any rank or privileges above the fixty-five Auxilia Palatina, and are properly

reft of their fellow-fubjecls. ftyled, * rg »-j\d ra&iff by Zofimus (1. vL

55 The fe Honoriani, ox Honoriaci, confiftedof p. 374.).
two bands of Scots, or Attacotti, two of Moors,

which

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

-svlucli had threatened the power and fifety of Comrantine. TI ie C II A ?.

;rullie army of the Theodonan family was furrounded and de- 1 w—

ftroyed in the Pyrenees: two of the brothers had. the good for-
tune to clbape by fea to Italy, or the Eaft; the other two, after
an interval of fufpence, were executed at Aries ; and if Honorius
could remain infec.fible of the public difgrace, he might perhaps be
-affected by the perfonal misfortunes of his generous kinfmen. Such
were the feeble arms which decided the pofieffion of the Weftern
provinces of Europe, from the wall of Antoninus to the columns of
Hercules. The events of peace and war have undoubtedly been
-diminifhed by the narrow and imperfect view of the hiftorians of
the times, who were equally ignorant of the caufes, and of the
effects, of the moll important revolutions. But the total decay of
the national ftrength had annihilated even the laft refource of a de-
spotic government ; and the revenue of exhaufted provinces could no
longer purchafe the military fervice of a difcontented and pufilla-
nimous people.

The poet, whofe flattery has afcribed to the Roman eagle the Negotiation
victories of Pollentia and Verona, purfues the hafty retreat of Alaric, stiUcho* ^
from the confines of Italy, with a horrid train of imaginary fpectres, ^0'8i ' 4C+*~*
fuch as might hover over an army of Barbarians, which was almoft
exterminated by war, famine, and difeafe In the courfe of this
unfortunate expedition, the king of the Goths muft indeed have fuf-
tained a confiderable lofs ; and his harafTed forces required an in-
terval of repofe to recruit their numbers, and revive their confidence.
Adverfity had exercifed, and difplayed, the genius of Alaric ; and
the fame of his valour invited, to the Gothic ftandard, the braved
-of the Barbarian warriors; who, from the Euxine to the Rhine,

99 Comitatur euntem Luftus ; ct inferni itridentcs agmine

Pallor, et atra fames j et faucia lividus morbi.

ora Claudian in vi Conf. Hon. jai,*C

Vol. III. A a were

i78 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. Were agitated by the defire of rapine and conqueft. He had deferred
i -t- < the efteem, and he foon accepted the friendfhip, of Stilicho him-
felf. Renouncing the fervice of the emperor of the Eaft, Alaric
concluded, with the court of Ravenna, a treaty of peace and al-
liance, by which he was declared mafler-general of the Roman
armies throughout the prefecture of Illyricum ; as it was claimed,
according to the true and ancient limits, by the minifter of Ho-
norius ,c°. The execution of the ambitious defign, which was either
ftipulated, or implied, in the articles of the treaty, appears to have
been fufpended by the formidable irruption of Radagaifus ; and the
neutrality of the Gothic king may perhaps be compared to the in-
difference of Csefar, who, in the confpiracy of Catiline, refufed
either to affift, or to oppofe, the enemy of the republic. After the
defeat of the Vandals, Stilicho refumed his pretenfions to the pro-
vinces of the Eaft ; appointed civil magiftrates for the adminiftration
of juftice, and of the finances ; and declared his impatience to leadr
to the gates of Conftantinople, the united armies of the Romans
and of the Goths. The prudence however of Stilicho, his averfion
to civil war, and his perfect knowledge of the weaknefs of the
ftate, may countenance the fufpicion, that domeftic peace, rather
than foreign conqueft, was the object of his policy; and, that his
principal care was to employ the forces of Alaric at a diftance from
Italy. This defign could not long efcape the penetration of the
Gothic king, who continued to hold a doubtful, and perhaps a
treacherous, correfpondence with the rival courts ; who protracted,
like a difiatisfied mercenary, his languid operations in Theffaly and
Epirus, and who foon returned to claim the extravagant reward of his
ineffectual fervices. From his camp near iEmona ,0,} on the confines of

Italy,

100 Thefe dark tranfa&ions are inveftigated whofe laborious accuracy may fometimes fa-
by the Count de Buat (Hift. des Peuples de tigue a fuperficial reader.
1'Europe, tom. vii. c.iii— viii. p. 69— 206.), 101 See Zofimus, 1. v. p. 334, 335. He

interrupts

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

Italy, he tranfmitted to the emperor of the Weft, a long account of c H A P.

promifes, of expences, and of demands ; called for immediate fatif- v * — — »

faction, and clearly intimated the confequences of a refufal. Yet if
his conduct was hoftile, his language was decent and dutiful. He
humbly profeffed himfelf the friend of Stilicho, and the foldier of
Honorius ; offered his perfon and his troops to march, without de-
lay, againft the ufurper of Gaul ; and folicitcd, as a permanent re-
treat for the Gothic nation, the pofTefTion of fome vacant province
of the Weftern empire.

The political and fecret tranfactions of two ftatefmen, who labour- Debates of
ed to deceive each other and the world, muft for ever have been fenate°man
concealed in the impenetrable darknefs of the cabinet, if the debates A,D* 4°8'
of a popular affembly had not thrown fome rays of light on the cor-
refpondence of Alaric and Stilicho. The neceflity of finding fome
artificial fupport for a government, which, from a principle, not of
moderation, but of weaknefs, was reduced to negociate with its own
fubjects, had infenfibly revived the authority of the Roman fenate :
and the minifter of Honorious refpectfully confulted the legiflative
council of the republic. Stilicho affembled the fenate in the palace
of the Csefars ; reprefented, in a ftudied oration, the actual ftate of
affairs ; propofed the demands of the Gothic king, and fubmitted
to their confideration the choice of peace or war. The fenators, as
if they had been fuddenly awakened from a dream of four hundred
years, appeared on this important occafion to be infpired by the
courage, rather than by the wifdom, of their predeceflbrs. They
loudly declared, in regular fpeeches, or in tumultuary acclamations,
that it was unworthy of the majefty of Rome, to purchafe a preca-

interrupts his fcanty narrative, to relate the 1. ix. c. 4.) and Socrates (!. vij. c. 10.)

fable of JEmona, and of the (hip Argo ; caft a pale arid doubtful light ; and Orofius

which was drawn over land from that place (1. vii. c. 38. p. 571.) is abominably partial,
to the Hadrktic. Sozomen (1. viii. c. 25.

A a 2 rious

n8o THE DECLINE AND TALL

C ?v« P* WQUs and difgraceful truce from a Barbarian king ; and that, in tht-
judgment of a magnanimous people, the chance of ruin was alwavs
preferable to the certainty of difhonour. The minifter, whofe pa-
cific intentions were feconded only by the voices of a few fervile and
venal followers, attempted to allay the general ferment, by an apo-
logy for his own conduct, and even for the demands of the Gothic
prince. " The payment of a fubfidy, which had excited the indig-
nation of the Romans, ought not (fuch was the language of Sti-
licho) to be confidered in the odious light, either of a tribute, or
of a ranfom, extorted by the menaces of a Barbarian enemy.
Alaric had faithfully afTerted the juft pretenfions of the republic to.
the provinces which were ufurped by the Greeks of Constantinople:
he modeftly required the fair and ftipulated recompence of his-
fervices ; and if he had defifled from the profecurion of his enter—
" prife, he had obeyed, in his retreat, the peremptory, though
w private, letters of the emperor himfelf. Thefe contradictory of-
tl ders (he would not difTemble the errors of his own family) had
" been procured by the intercemon of Serena. The tender piety of
" his wife had been too deeply affected by the difcord of the royal
" brothers, the fons of her adopted father ; and the fentiments of
M nature had too eafily prevailed over the flern dictates of the public
" welfare." Thefe oftenfibie reafons, which faintly difguife the-
obfcure intrigues of the palace of Ravenna, were fupported by the
authority of Stilicho ; and obtained, after a warm debate, the reluc-
tant approbation of the fenate. The tumult of virtue and freedom-
fubfided ; and the fum of four thoufand pounds of gold was granted,
under the name of. a fubfidy, to fecure the peace of Italy, and to*
conciliate the friendfhip of the king of the Goths. Lampadius alone, ,
one of the raoft illuftrious members of the affembly, ftill perfifted in
his duTent exclaimed with a loud voice, " This is not a treaty cf
l " peace5

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 1S1

**' peace, but of fervitude 1,1 j* and efcaped the danger of fucli bcld c "H-A P.

oppofition by immediately retiring to ihe fandtuary of a Chriftian \ ^— — 0

church.

But the reign of Stilicho drew towards its end ; and the proud lntrigu?s of

the palace,

minifter might perceive the fymptoms of his approaching difgrace. A. D «o8,
The generous boldnefs of Lampadius had been applauded ; and the *
fenate, fo patiently refigned to a long fervitude, rejected with d:f-
dain the offer of invidious and imaginary freedom. The troops,
who ftill affirmed the name and prerogatives of the Roman legions,
were exafperated by the partial affection of Stilicho for the Barba-
rians : and the people imputed to the mifchievous policy of the mi— •
nifter, the public misfortunes, which were the natural confequcnc z.
of their own degeneracy. Yet Stilicho might have continued to brave*
the clamours of the people, and even of the foldiers, if he could have
maintained his dominion over the feeble mind of his pupil. But the
refpectful attachment of Honorius was converted into fear, fufpicion,
and hatred. The crafty Olympius ,03, who concealed his vices under
the mafk of Chriftian piety, had fecretly undermined the benefactor,
by whofe favour he was promoted to the honourable offices of the Im-
perial palace. Olympius revealed to the unfufpec~ting emperor, who
had attained the twenty-fifth year of his age, that he was without
weight, or authority, in his own government ; and artfully alarm-
ed his timid and indolent difpofition by a lively picture of the
defigns of Stilicho, who already meiitated the death of his fo-
vereign, with the ambitious hope of placing the diadem on the head

101 Zofimus, 1. v. p. 338, 339. He re- v. p. 340.) expofes with vifible fatisfac-

peats the words of Lampadius, as thry were tion. Auguftin revered the piery of Olym-

fpoke in Latin, " Non eft ifta pax, fed pac- pius, whom he ftyles a true fon of the church

tio fervitutis," and then tranflates them into (Barcnius, Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 408. N°

Greek for the benefit of his readers. 19, Sec. Tillemcnt, Mem. Ecclef. torn. xiii.

103 He came from the coaft of the Euxine, p. 467, 468.). But thefe praifes, which the

and exercifed a fplendid office, «• v.c, I African faint fo unworthily beftows, might'

Ttia? £» toi; /Sac-iXfivi; a|i«/*f»o.. His actions proceed, as well from ignorance, as from

juftify his character, which Zofimus (1. auulauon.

i82 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. 0f fon Eucherius. The emperor was inftigated, by his new fa-
u — -v — vourite, to aflume the tone of independent dignity ; and the minifter
was aftonilhed to find, that fecret refolutions were formed in the
court and council, which were repugnant to his intereft, or to his
intentions. Inftead of refiding in the palace of Rome, Honorius de-
clared, that it was his pleafure to return to the fecure fortrefs of
Ravenna. On the firft intelligence of the death of his brother Ar-
cadius, he prepared to vifit Conftantinople, and to regulate, with the
authority of a guardian, the provinces of the infant Theodofms
The reprefentation of the difficulty and expence of fuch a diftant ex-
pedition, checked this ftrange and hidden fally of active diligence ;
but the dangerous project of mewing the emperor to the camp
of Pavia, which was compofed of the Roman troops, the enemies
of Stilicho, and his Barbarian auxiliaries, remained fixed and un-
alterable. The minifter was prelTed, by the advice of his con-
fident Juftinian, a Roman advocate, of a lively and penetrating
genius, to oppofe a journey fo prejudicial to his reputation and
fafety. His ftrenuous, but ineffectual, efforts confirmed the triumph
of Olympius ; and the prudent lawyer withdrew himfelf from the
impending ruin of his patron.
Difgrace and In the paflage of the emperor through Bologna, a mutiny of
licho, the guards was excited and appeafed by the fecret policy of Sti-

Augu'ft 23!' licho ; who announced his inftructions to decimate the guilty, and
aferibed to his own interceffion the merit of their pardon. After
this tumult, Honorius embraced, for the laft time, the minifter
whom he now confidered as a tyrant, and proceeded on his way to
the camp of Pavia j where he was received by the loyal acclama-
tions of the troops who were affembled for the fervice of the Gallic

104 Zo/imus, 1. v. p. 338, 339. Sozomen, vert Honorius from the vain attempt. The
1. ix. c. 4. Stilicho offered to undertake the Eaftern empire would not have obeyed, and
journey to Conftantinople, that he might di- could not have been conquered.

war.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

war. On the morning of the fourth clay, he pronounced, as he had c

been taught, a military oration in the prefence of the lbldiers, whom 1 *

the charitable vifits, and artful difcourfes, of Olympius had pre-
pared to execute a dark and bloody confpiracy. At the firft fignal,
they maffacred the friends of Stilicho, the mod illuftrious officers
of the empire ; two praetorian prefects, of Gaul, and of Italy ;
two mafters-general, of the cavalry, and infantry ; the mafter of
the offices ; the quseftor, the treasurer, and the count of the do-
meftics. Many lives were loft ; many houfes were plundered ; the
furious fedition continued to rage till the clofe of the evening ; and
the trembling emperor, who was feen in the ftreets of Pavia, without
his robes or diadem, yielded to the perfuafions of his favourite;
condemned the memory of the flain; and folemnly approved the in-
nocence and fidelity of their aflaffins. The intelligence of the maf—
facre of Pavia filled the mind of Stilicho with juft and gloomy ap-
prehenfions : and he inftantly fummoned, in the camp of Bologna,
a council of the confederate leaders, who were attached to his fervice,
and would be involved in his ruin. The impetuous voice of the
aflembly called aloud for arms, and for revenge ; to march, without
a moment's delay, under the banners of a hero, whom they had fo
often followed to victory ; to furprife, to opprefs, to extirpate the
guilty Olympius, and his degenerate Romans ; and perhaps to fix
the diadem on the head of their injured general. Inftead of execut-
ing a refolution, which might have been juftified by fuccefs, Stilicho
hefitated till he was irrecoverably loft. He was ftill ignorant of the
fate of the emperor ; he diftrufted the fidelity of his own party ; and
he viewed with horror the fatal confequences of arming a crowd of
licentious Barbarians, againft the foldiers and people of Italy. The
confederates, impatient of his timorous and doubtful delay, haf-
tily retired, with fear and indignation. At the hour of mid-
night, Sarus, a Gothic warrior, renowned among the Barbarians
2 themfelves

THE. E>ECLTOE AND E ALL

c \fJk ?* themfelves for his ftrength and valour, fuddenly invaded the camp

v — » of his benefactor, plundered the baggage, cut in pieces the faithful

.Huns, who guarded hjs perfon, and penetrated to the tent, where the
minuter, penfive and fleeplefs, meditated on the dangers of his fitu-
.ation. StHicho efcaped with difficulty from the fword of the Goths;
.and, after ifluingalaft and generous admonition to the cities of Italy,
to fhut their gates againfl: the Barbarians, his confidence, or his
. defpair, urged him to throw himfelf into Ravenna, which was
already in the abfolute pofieflion of his enemies. Olympius, who
had affumed the dominion of Honorius, was fpecdily inform-
ed, that his rival had embraced, as a fuppliant, the altar of the
Chriftian church. The bafc and cruel difpofition of the hypocrite
was incapable of pity or remorfe ; but he pioufly affected to elude,
father than to violate, the privilege of the fanctuary. Count He-
. radian, with a troop of foldiers, appeared, at the dawn of day, before
, the gates of the church of Ravenna. The bilhop was fatisfied by a
folemn oath, that the Imperial mandate only directed them to fecure
-the perfon of Stilicho : but, as foon as the unfortunate minifter had
been tempted beyond the holy threfhold, he produced the warrant for
his inltant execution. Stilicho fupportcd, with calm refignation, the
injurious names of traitor and parricide; reprelfed the unfeafonable
zeal of his followers, who were ready to attempt an inefFedhial refcue;
and, with a firmnefs not unworthy of the lift of the Roman ge-
nerals, fubmitted his neck to the fword of Heraclian ,ys.
Hi$ memory The fe^vile crowd of the palace, who had lb long adored the for-
perfecuted. ^ of StiKcho> affetfed to infult his fall ; and the moft diftant
connexion with the mafter-general of the Welt, which had lb lately
been a title to wealth and honours, was ftudiou/ly denied, and rigor-

,0' ZoHmus (1. v. p. 336—345.) has co- p. 571, 572.), So2omen (1. ix. c. 4.), and
pioufly, though not clearly, related the dif- Philoltorgius (1. xi. c. 3. 1. xii. c. 2.)> afford
gr;.cc and death of Stilicho. Oiympiodorus fupplemental hints,
(apud Phot. p. 177. ), Orofius (1. vii. e. 38.),

oufly

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

©ufly punifhcd. His family, united by a triple alliance with the
family of Theodofius, might envy the condition of the. meaneft
peafant. The flight of his fon Eucherius was intercepted ; and the
death of that innocent youth foon followed the divorce of Ther-
mantia, who filled the place of her filler Maria ; and who, like Maria,
had remained a virgin in the Imperial bed ,06. The friends of Still—
cho, who had efcaped the maflacre of Pavia, were perfecuted by the
implacable revenge of Olympius ; and the mod exquifitc cruelty was
employed to extort the confeffion of a treafonable and facrilegious
confpiracy. They died in filence : their firmnefs juftified the
choice ,or, and perhaps abfolved the innocence of their patron ; and
the defpotic power, which could take his life without a trial, and
ftigmatife his memory without a proof, has no jurifdiclion over the
impartial fuffrage of pofterity ,0\ The fervices of Stilicho are great
and manifeft ; his crimes, as they are vaguely ftated in the language
of flattery and hatred, are obfeure, at leaft, and improbable. About
four months after his death, an edict was publifhed, in the name of
Honorius, to reflore the free communication of the two empires,
which had been fo long interrupted by the public enemy ,09. The mini-
ftefr, whofe fame and fortune depended on the profperity of the ftate,
was accufed of betraying Italy to the Barbarians ; whom he repeat-
edly vanquifhed at Pollentia, at Verona, and before the walls of
Florence. His pretended defign of placing the diadem on the head

106 Zofimus, I. v. p. 333. The marriage a feeble prince, the bed-chamber was not
of a Chriftian with two fillers, fcandalifcs able to fecure him.

Tillemont (Hift. des Empercurs, torn. v. p. 108 Orofius (1. vii. c. 38. p. 571, 572.)

557.); who expccls, in vain, that pope In- fecms to copy the falfe and furious manifeftos,

nocent I. fhould have done fomething in the which were difperfed through the provinces

way, either of cenfure, or of difpenfation. by the new adminiftration.

107 Two of his friends are honourably men- 109 See the Theodofian Code, 1. vii. tit.
tioned (Zofimus, 1. v. p. 346.) : Peter, chief xvi. leg. 1. L ix. tit. xlii. leg. 22. Stilicho
of the fchool of notaries, and the great cham- is branded with the name of prado publicus,
berlain Deuterius. Stilicho had fecuied the who employed his wealth, ad omticm dttan-
bed-chamber; and it is furprifing, that, under dam, iirquietandamjuc Barbaricm.

Vol. III. B b of

i86 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. 0f his fon Eucherius, could not have been conducted without prepa-
\— — . i rations or accomplice.0. ; and the ambitious father would not furely
have left the future emperor, till the twentieth year of his age, in
the humble ftation of tribune of the notaries. Even the religion of
Stilicho was arraigned by the malice of his rival. The feafonable,
and almofr. miraculous, deliverance was devoutly celebrated bv the
applaufe of the clergy ; who averted, that the reiteration of idols,
and the perfecuticn of the church, would have been the lirft meafure
of the reign of Eucherius. The fon of Stilicho, however, was edu-
cated in the bofom of Chriftianity, which his father had uniformly
profefied, and zealoufly fupported ■ . Serena had borrowed her mag-
nificent necklace from the ftatue of Vefta 1,1 ; and the Pagans ex-
ecrated the memory of the facrilegious minifter, by whofe order the
Sybiiline books, the oracles of Rome, had been committed to the
flames "*. The pride and power of Stilicho conflituted his real guilt.
An honourable reluctance to flied the blood of his countrymen,
appears to have contributed to the fuccefs of his unworthy rival j.
and it is the laft humiliation of the character of Honorius, that
pofterity has not condescended to reproach him with his bafe ingra-
titude to the guardian of his youth, and the fupport of his empire.
The poet Among the train of dependents, whofe wealth and dignity at-

tracted the notice of their own times, our curiolity is excited by the
celebrated name of the poet Claudian, who enjoyed the favour of

"c Auguftin himfelf is fathtied with the 41—60.) to whom religious enthufiafm has

efieftual laws, v;hich Stilicho had ena&ed dictated fome elegant and forcible lines. Sti-

againft heretics and idolaters ; and which are licho likewife itripped the gold plates from

ftiH extant in the Code. He only applies to the doors of the capitol, and read a prcphe-

Glympius for their confirmation (Earonius, tic fentence, which was engraven under them

Anna!. Eccief. A. D. 408. N° 19.). (Zcfimus, 1. v. p. 352.). Thefe are fcolilh.

Zoilmus, 1. v. p. 351. We may cb- ftories : yet the charge of iinpiety adds weight

ferve the bad taile of the age, in dreffing their and credit to the praife, which Zoliinus re-

iiatues with fuch aukward finery. luclantly bellows, of his virtues.
111 See Rutilius Ncmatianu- (Itinerar. 1. ii.

8 Stilicho^

Claudian.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

187

Stilicho, and was overwhelmed in the ruin of his patron. The c J* * p-

XXX.

titular offices of tribune and notary fixed his rank in the Imperial
court : he was indebted to the powerful interceffion of Serena for
his marriage with a rich heirefs of the province of Africa ; and
the flatue of Claudian, erected in the forum of Trajan, was a monu-
ment of the tafte and liberality of the Roman fenate "\ After the
praifes of Stilicho became offenfive and criminal, Claudian was ex-
pofed to the enmity of a powerful and unforgiving courtier, whom
he had provoked by the infolence of wit. He had compared, in a
lively epigram, the oppofite characters of two Prxtorian prefects of
Italy ; he contrails the innocent repofe of a philcfopher, who fomc-
times refigned the hours of bufinefs to {lumber, perhaps to ftudy;
with the interefted diligence of a rapacious minifter, indefatigable in
the purfuit of unjuft, or facrilegious gain. " How happy, conti-
" nues Claudian, how happy might it be for the people of Italy,
li if Mallius could be constantly awake, and if Hadrian would ai-
** ways fleep 115 !" The repofe of Mallius was not difturbed by this
friendly and gentle admonition ; but the cruel vigilance of Hadrian
watched the opportunity of revenge, and eafily obtained, from the
enemies of Stilicho, the trifling facrifice of an obnoxious poet. The
poet concealed himfelf, however, during the tumult of the revolu-

113 At the nuptials of Orpheus (a modeft far fupenor to Claudian, mould have been

comparifon !) all the parts of animated na- ere&ed, during his life-time, by the men of

ture contributed their various gifts ; and the letters, his countrymen, and contemporaries,

gods their.felves enriched their favourite. It was a noble defign !

Claudian had neither flocks, nor herds, nor "5 See Epigram xxx.

vines, or olives. His wealthy bride was Mallius iniulget fomno ncftefque diefq e:

heirefs to them all. But he carried to Africa, Infomnis Pharius facra, profana, rapit.

a recommendatory letter from Serena, his Omnibus, hoc, Italas gentes, expofcite votis

Juno, and was made happy (Epilt. ii. ad Se- Mallius ut vigilet, dormiat ut Pharius.

renam). Hadrian was a Pharian (of Alexandria). See

"4 Claudian feels the honour like a man his public life in Godefrcy, Cod. Theodof.

who deferved it (in prjefat. Bell. Get.). The torn. In. p. 364. Mallius did not always /leep.

original infeription, on marble, was found at He compofed fome elegant dialogues on the

JRome, in the f.fteenth century, in the houfc Greek fyilcms of natural philofophy (Claud.

of Pomponius Lxtus. The itatac of a poet, in Mall. Thcodor. Conf. 61 — 112.).

B b 2 tion ;

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, tion ; and, confulting the dictates of prudence, rather than of honour,.
< u ' he addrcHed, in the form of an epiftlc, a fuppliant and humble re-
cantation to the offended prefect. He deplores, in mournful drains,
the fatal indilcretion into which he had been hurried by paffion
and folly ; fubmits to the imitation of his adverfary, the generous
examples of the clemency of gods, of heroes, and of lions ; and
expreffes his hope, that the magnanimity of Hadrian will not trample
on a defencelefs and contemptible foe, already humbled by difgrace
and poverty ; and deeply wounded by the exile, the tortures, and
the death of his deareft friends "6. Whatever might be the fuccefs
of his prayer, or the accidents of his future life, the period of a few
years levelled in the grave the minifter and the poet : but the name
of Hadrian is almoft funk in oblivion, while Claudian is read with
plcafure in every country which has retained, or acquired, the know-
ledge of the Latin language. If we fairly balance his merits and his
defects, we fhall acknowledge, that Claudian does not either fatisfy,
or filence, our reafon. It would not be eafy to produce a paffage
that deferves the epithet of fublimeor pathetic; to felect a verfe>
that melts the heart, or enlarges the imagination. We mould vainly
feck, in the poems of Claudian, the happy invention, and artificial
conduct, of an intercfting fable; or the juft and lively reprefentation
of- the characters and lituations of real life. For the fervice of his
patron, he publifhed occafional panegyrics and invectives : and the
defign of thefe flavim compofitions encouraged his propenfity to ex-
ceed the limits of truth and nature. Thefe imperfections, however,
are compenfated in fome degree by the poetical virtues of Claudian.
He was endowed with the rare and precious talent of raifing the
mcancft, of adorning the moft barren, and of diverfifying the moft
fimilar, topics : his colouring, more efpecially in defcriptive poetry,

1,6 Sec Claudian's firft Epiftlc. Yet, in fome places, an air of irony and indignation
betrays his iecrct reluctance.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 189

is foft and fplendid ; and he fcldom fails to difplay, and even to C II A P.

X X x«

abufc, the advantages of a cultivated underftanding, a copious fancy, v— — ■ v~— j
an eafy, and fometimes forcible, expreflion ; and a perpetual flow
of harmonious verification. To thefe commendations, independent
of any accidents of time, and place, we mud add the peculiar merit
which Claudian derived from the unfavourable circumftances of his
birth. In the decline of arts, and of empire, a native of Egypt h%
who had received the education of a Greek, aflumcd, in a mature
age, the familiar ufc, and abfolute command, of the Latin lan-
guage1,8 ; foared above the heads of his feeble contemporaries; and
placed himfelf, after an interval of three hundred years, among the
poets of ancient Rome '".

1,7 National vanity has made him a Flo- Greek, the Antiquities of Tarfus, Anazar-

rentine, or a Spaniard. But the firft cpiftle bus, Berytus, Nice, &c. It is more cafy to

cf Claudian proves him a native of Alexan- fupply the lofs of good poetry, than of authen-

dria (Fabricius, Bibliot. Latin, torn. iii. p. tic hiflory.

191— 202. edit. Erneft.). "9 Strada (Prolufion v, vi.) allows him to

111 His firft Latin verfes were compofed contend with the five heroic poets, Lucretius,

during the confulfhip of Probinus, A.D. 395. Virgil, Ovid, Lucan, and Statius. His pa-

Romanos bibimus primum, te confule, tron is the accomplifhcd courtier Balthazar

fontes Caftiglione. His admirers arc numerous and

Et Latia; ceflit Graia Thalia togx. paflionate. Yet the rigid criiki reproach the

Befides fome Greek epigrams, which are ftill exotic weeds, or flowers, which Spring too

•extant, the Latin poet had compofed in luxuriantly in his Latian foil.

C I I A P.

* 9°

THE DECLINE AND TALL

CHAP.
XXXI.

CHAP. XXXI,

Invafion of Italy by Alaric. — Manners of the Roman Se-
nate and People. ——Rome is thrice befeeged^ and at length
pillaged \ by the Goths. — Death of Alaric- — The Goths
evacuate Italy *— Fall of ConJlanti"ae.—Gaul and Spain
are occupied by the Barbarians Independence of
Britain.

HE incapacity of a weak and diftradted government may often

v . — —> JL alTume the appearance, and produce the effects, of a treafon-

the court of able correfpondenee with the public enemy. If Alaric himfelf had

A*p"n?o8, been introduced into the council of Ravenna, he would probably
September. have the fame

meafures which were actually purfued by the
minifters of Honorius \ The king of the Goths would have con-
fpired, perhaps with fome reluctance, to deftroy the formidable ad-
verfary, by whole arms, in Italy, as well as in Greece, he had been
twice overthrown. 7mr active and imerefted hatred laboriously accom«=
pliihed the diigrace and ruin of the great Stilicho. The valour of
Sarus, his fame in arms, and his perfoual, or hereditary, influence
over the confederate Barbarians, could recommend him only to the
friends of their country, who defpifed, or detefted, the worthlefs
characters of Turpilio, Varanes, and Vigilantius, By the preffing
inftancca of the new favourites, thefe generals, unworthy as they

* The fepics of events, from the death of Rome, can enly be found In Zofumis, !, v.
Stiiicho, to the arrival of Alaric before p. 347—3,50.

had

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

had fhewn themfelves of the name of foldicrs 2, were promoted to the
command of the cavalry, of the infantry, and of the domeftic troops.
The Gothic prince would have fubfcribed with pleafure the edict which
the fanaticifm of Olympius dictated to the fimple and devout emperor.
Honorius excluded all perfons, who were adverfe to the catholic
church,, from holding any office in the ftate ; obftinately rejected the-
fervice of all thofe who diffented from his religion ; and rafhly dif-
qualified many of his braveft and moft fkilful officers, who adhered
to the Pagan worihip, or who had imbibed the opinions of Arian--
ifm3. Thefe meafures, fo advantageous to an enemy, Alaric would
have approved, and might perhaps have fuggefted.; but it may
feem doubtful, whether the Barbarian would have promoted his
intereft at the expence of the inhuman and abfurd cruelty, which
was perpetrated by the direction, or at leafl with the connivance,
of the Imperial minifters. The foreign auxiliaries, who had been
attached to the perfon of Stilicho, .lamented his death ; but the denrc
of revenge was checked by a natural apprehenfion for the fafety of
their wives and children ; who were detained as hofxages in the ftrong
cities of Italy, . where they had likewife depofited their molt valuable
efFects. At the fame hour, and as if by a common fignal, the cities
of Italy were polluted by the fame horrid fcenes of univerfal maf--
facre and pillage, which involved, in promifcuous deftruclicn, the fa-
milies and fortunes of the Barbarians. Exafperated bv fuch an
injury, which might have awakened the tamc-it and moft fervile
fpirit, they caft a look of indignation and hope towards the camp
of Alaric, and unanimoufl.y fwore to purfue, with jufl and im--

* The expreffion of Zofimus is ftrong and r.cbis fit aliquri rntione conjur.chis, qui n

lively, *aTa3,-o>iirii {fC7roi-/:o-ai to«; t; (Mac a%- nobis fide et reiigionc diicordat. C'cd.The-

xo.ru , fufficient to exche the contempt of odof. I. xvi; tit. v. leg. 42. and Gode-

the enemy. froy's Commentary, torn vi. p. 164. This

3 Eos qui catholicx fccla; funt inimici, law was applied in the utmoft latitude, an J

intra palatium militate prohibemus. Nullus rigoroufly execuied. Zoiim*s, I. v. p. 36.;,

placable

i92 THE DECLINE AND FALL

C P. placable war, the perfidious nation, that had fo bafely violated the
l- laws of hofpitality. By the imprudent conduct of the minifters of

Honorius, the republic loft the afiiftance, and deferved the enmity,
of thirty thoufand of her braveft folcliers : and the weight of that
formidable army, which alone might have determined the event of
the war, was transferred from the fcale of the Romans into that of
the Goths.

AIaric In the arts of negociation, as well as in thofe of war, the Gothic

marches ° ' '

to ^me'g king maintained his fuperior afcendant over an enemy, whofe feem-
OAobcr, Sec. ing changes proceeded from the total want of counfel and defign.

From his camp, on the confines of Italy, Alaric attentively obferved
the revolutions of the palace, watched the progrefs of faction and
difcontent, difguifed the hoftile afpecl: of a Barbarian invader, and
affumed the more popular appearance of the friend and ally of the
great Stilicho; to whofe virtues, when they were no longer formi-
dable, he could pay a juft tribute of fincere praife and regret. The
preffing invitation of the malcontents, who urged the king of the
Goths to invade Italy, was enforced by a lively fenfe of his perfonal
injuries; and he might fpecioufly complain, that the Imperial mini-
fters ftill delayed and eluded the payment of the four thoufand pounds
of gold ; which had been granted by the Roman fenate, either to
reward his fervices, or to appeafe his fury. His decent firmnefs was
fupported by an artful moderation, which contributed to the mccefs
of his defigns. He required a fair and reafonable fatisfaction ; but
he gave the ftrongeft aflurances, that, as foon as he had obtained it,
he would immediately retire. He refufed to truft the faith of the
Romans, unlefs iEtius and Jafon, the fons of two great officers of
ftate, were fent as hoftages to his camp : but he offered to deliver, in
exchange, feveral of the nobleft youths of the Gothic nation. The
modefty of Alaric was interpreted, by the minifters of Ravenna, as a.
fure evidence of his weaknefs and fear. They difdained either to
3 negociate

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

negociate a treaty, or to afTemble an army ; and with a rafh confi-
dence, derived only from their ignorance of the extreme danger,
irretrievably wafted the decifive moments of peace and war. While
they expected, in fullen filence, that the Barbarians mould evacuate
the confines of Italy, Alaric, with bold and rapid marches, patted the
Alps and the Po ; haftily pillaged the cities of Aquileia, Altinum,
Concordia, and Cremona, which yielded to his arms ; increafed his
forces by the acceflion of thirty thoufand auxiliaries ; and, without
meeting a fingle enemy in the field, advanced as far as the edge of
the morafs which protected the impregnable refidence of the emperor
of the Weft. Inftead of attempting the hopelefs fiege of Ravenna,
the prudent leader of the Goths proceeded to Rimini, ftretched his
ravages along the fea-coaft of the Hadriatic, and meditated the con-
queft of the ancient miftrefs of the world. An Italian hermit, whofe
zeal and fanctity were refpected by the Barbarians themfelves, en-
countered the victorious monarch, and boldly denounced the indig-
nation of heaven- againft the opprefTors of the earth : but the faint
himfelf was confounded by the folemn afleveration of Alaric, that he
felt a fecret and preternatural impulfe, which directed, and even
compelled, his march to the gates of Rome. He felt, that his genius
and his fortune were equal to the moft arduous enterprifes ; and the
enthufiafm which he communicated to the Goths, infenfibly removed
the popular, and almoft fuperftitious, reverence of the nations for
the majefty of the Roman name. His troops, animated by the hopes
of fpoil, followed the courfe of the Flaminian way, occupied the
unguarded pafTes of the Apennine4, defcended into the rich plains
of Umbria ; and, as they lay encamped on the banks of the Clitum-

* Addifon (fee his Works, vol. ii. p. 54. were pleafcd to find that the Saxa Intcrciia,

edit. Bafkerville) has given a very pidturefque a narrow paffage which Vefparan had cut

defcription of the road through the Apen- through the rock (Cluver. Italia Antiq. torn,

nine. The Goths were not at leifure to ob- i. p. 618.), was totally neglected,
ferve the beauties of the profpeft.; but they

Vol. III. C c mis,

I94 THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. nus> might wantonly (laughter and devour the milk-white oxen,
c .- ,. r which had been fo long referred for the ufe of Roman triumphs *.

A lofty fituation, and a feafonable tempeft of thunder and light-
ning, preferved the little city of Narni ; but the king of the Goths,,
defpifing the ignoble prey, ftill advanced with unabated vigour ;
and after he had paffed through the ftately arches, adorned with the
fpoils of Barbaric victories, he pitched his camp under the walls of
Rome 6.

Hannibal at During a period of fix hundred and nineteen years, the feat of
Rome?" ° empire had never been violated by the prefence of a foreign enemy.

The unfuccefsful expedition of Hannibal 7, ferved only to difplay
the character of the fenate and people; of a fenate degraded, rather
than ennobled, by the comparifon of an aflembly of kings ; and of a
people, to whom the ambafTador of Pyrrhus afcribed the inexhauft-
ible refources of the Hydra 8. Each of the fenators, in the time of
the Punic war, had accomplished his term of military fervice, either
in a fubordinatc or a fuperior ftation ; and the decree, which invert-
ed with temporary command all thofe who had been confuls, or
cenfors, or dictators, gave the republic the immediate affiftance of
many brave and experienced generals. In the beginning of the war,
the Roman people confided of two hundred and fifty thoufand citizens

s Hinc albi Clitumni greges, et maxima Hon. 494—522.) The meafured dilhnce

Taurus between Ravenna and Rome, was 254 Ro-

Vittima; fcpe tuo perfufi flumine facro man miles. Itinerar. Wefieling. p. 126.

Romanos ad templa Deum duxere In- * The march and retreat of Hannibal are

umphos. defcribed by Livy, 1. xxvi. c. 7, 8, 9, 10,

Befidcs Virgil, moll of the Latin poets, Pro- ri.j and the reader is made a fpe&ator of

pertius, Lucan, Silius Ttalicus, Claudian, the intcrefting fcene.

&c. whofe paftages may be found in Ciuve- 8 Thefe comparifons were ufed by Cyneas,

rius and Addifon, have celebrated the tri- the counfellor of Pyrrhus, after his return

umphal vidims of the Clitumnus. from his embafly, in which he had diligently

* Some ideas of the march of Alaric are fludied the difcipline and manners of Rome,

borrowed from the journey of Honorius over See Plutarch in Pyrrho, torn. ii. p. 459.

the fame ground. (See Claudian in vi Conf.

OF TPIE ROMAN EMPIRE.

*95

of an age to bear. arms'. Fifty thoufand had already died in the c n A p-

defence of their country ; and the twenty-three legions which were _r

employed in the different camps of Italy, Greece, Sardinia, Sicily,

and Spain, required about one hundred thoufand men. But there

ftill remained an equal number in Rome, and the adjacent territory,

who were animated by the lame intrepid courage ; and every citizen

was trained, from his earlicft youth, in the difcipline and exercifes

of a foldier. Hannibal was aftonifhed by the conftancy of the fe-

nate, who, without raifing the fiege of Capua, or recalling their

fcattered forces, expected his approach. He encamped on the banks

of the Anio, at the diftance of three miles from the city : and he

was foon informed, that the ground on which he had pitched his

tent, was fold for an adequate price at a public auction ; and that a

body of troops was difmilfed by an oppofite road, to reinforce the

legions of Spain '°. He led his Africans to the gates of Rome, where

he found three armies in order of battle, prepared to receive him ;

but Hannibal dreaded the event of a combat, from which he could

not hope to efcape, unlcfs he deftroyed the lafh of his enemies ; and

his fpecdy retreat confeffed the invincible courage of the Romans.

From the time of the Punic war, the uninterrupted fdeceflion of Genealogy
fenators had preferved the name and image of the republic ; and the tors/
degenerate fubjccl:s of Flonorius ambitioufly derived their delcent

9 In the three ten/us which were made of Rome, and that the numbers were diminifh-

the Roman people, about the time of the ed, not only by the death, but likewife by

fecond Punic war, the numbers ftand as fol- the abfence, of many foldiers. In the third

lows (fee Livy, Epitom. 1. xx. Hift. 1. xxvii. cenjus, Livy exprcisly affirms, that the legions

\(t. xxix. 37. )> 27°>2'.3> 137,108, 21.4,000. were muftered by the care of particular com- .

The fall of the fecond, and the rife of the miffaries. From the numbers on the lift,

third, appears fo enormous, that feveral cri- we muft always deduft one twelfth above

tics, notwithstanding the unanimity of the threefcore, and incapable of bearing arms.

MSS. have fufpefted fome corruption of the See Population dela France, p. jz.

text of Livy. (See Drakenborch ad xxvii. 10 Livy confiders thefc two incidents as

36. and Beaufort, Republique Romaine, the cft'e&s only of chance and courage. I

torn. i. p. 325-) They did not confider fufped that they were both managed by the

that the fecond cerr/uj was taken only at admirable policy of the fenate.

Cc 2 from

THE DECLINE AND FALL

from the heroes who had repulfed the arms of Hannibal, and fub-
dued the nations of the earth. The temporal honours, which the
devout Paula 11 inherited and defpifed, are carefully recapitulated by
Jerom, the guide of her confcience, and the hiftorian of her life.
The genealogy of her father, Rogatus, which afcended as high as
Agamemnon, might feem to betray a Grecian origin ; but her mo-
ther, Blaefilla, numbered the Scipios, iEmilius Paulus, and the Grac-
chi, in the lift of her anceftors ; and Toxotius, the hufband of Paula,
deduced his royal lineage from iEneas, the father of the Julian line.
The vanity of the rich, who defired to be noble, was gratified by
thefe lofty pretenfions. Encouraged by the applaufe of their para-
fites, they eafily impofed on the credulity of the vulgar ; and were
countenanced, in fome meafure, by the cuftom of adopting the name
of their patron, which had always prevailed among the freedmen and
clients of illuftrious families. Moft of thofe families, however, at-
tacked by fo many caufes of external violence or internal decay, were
gradually extirpated : and it would be more reafonable to feek for a
lineal defcent of twenty generations, among the mountains of the
Alps, or in the peaceful folitude of Apulia, than on the theatre of
Rome, the feat of fortune, of danger, and of perpetual revolutions.
Under each fucceflive reign, and from every province of the empire,
a crowd of hardy adventurers, rifing to eminence by their talents or
their vices, ufurped the wealth, the honours,, and the palaces of
Rome ; and opprefted, or protected, the poor and humble remains
of confular families ; who were ignorant, perhaps, of the glory of
their anceftors '\

" See Jerom, torn. i. p. 169, 17a. ad with a thoufand families of the Weftern pro-
Euftochium ; he beftows 011 Paula the vinces. See the Index of Tacitus, of Gru-
fplendid titles of Gracchorum ftirps, foboles ter's Infcriptions, &c.

Scipion-um, Pauii haeres, cujus vocabulum 11 Tacitus (AnnaL iii. 55.) affirms, that,
trahit, Martis Papyriac Matris Africani ve- between the battle of Aclium and the reign
ra et germana propago, This particular ofVefpafian, the fenate was gradually filled
defcription fuppofes a more folid title than with new families, from the Municipia and
the furname of Julius, which Toxotius fhared colonies of Italy..

6 In

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

•97

In the time of Terom and Claudian, the fenators unanlmoufly CHAP.

/ ' 7 XXXI.
yielded the pre-eminence to the Anician line ; and a flight view of « ^Tr*

tbeir hiftory will ferve to appreciate the rank and antiquity of the family,
noble families, which contended only for the fecond place ,3. Dur-
ing the five firft ages of the city, the name of the Anicians was un-
known; they appear to have derived their origin from Praenefte;
and the ambition of thofe new citizens was long fatisfied with the
Plebeian honours of tribunes of the people ,+. One hundred and
fixty-eight years before the Chriftian asra, the family was ennobled by
the Prsetorfhip of Anicius, who glorioufly terminated the Illyrian
war by the conqueft of the nation, and the captivity of their king ,s.
From the triumph of that general, three confulfhips, in diftant pe-
riods, mark the fucceflion of the Anician name I6. From the reign of
Diocletian to the final extinction of the Weftern empire, that name
fhone with a luftre- which was not eclipfed in the public eftimation, by
the majefty of the Imperial purple 17 . The feveral branches, to whom
it was communicated, united, by marriage or inheritance, the wealth
and titles of the Annian, the. Petronian, and the Olybrianhoufes ; and

13 Nec quifquam Procerum tentet (licet 15 Livy, xliv. 30- 31. xlv. 3. 26. 43.

aere vetufto He fairly appreciates the merit of Anicius,

Floreat, et claro cingaturRoma fenatu) and juftly obferves, that his fame was cloud-

Se jadtare parem ; fed prima fede re- ed by the fuperior luftre of the Macedonian,

lifta which preceded the Illyrian, triumph,
Aucheniis, de jure licet certare fecundo. 16 The dates of the three confulfhips are,

Claud, in Prob. et Olybrii CofT. lS. A. U. C. 93, 818, 967 : the two laft un-

Such a compliment paid to the obfcure name der the reigns of Nero and Caracalla. The

of the Auchenii has amazed the critics ; but fecond of thefe confuls diftinguilhed himfelf

they all agree, that whatever may be the only by his infamous flattery (Tacit. Annal.

true reading, the fenfe of Claudian can be xv. 74.): but even the evidence of crimes,,

applied only to the Anician family. if they bear the ftamp of greatnefs and anti-

14 The earlieft date in the arnals of Pig- quity, is admitted, without reluct*"nce, to
hius, is that of M. Anicius Gallus. Trib. prove the genealogy of a noble houfe.

PI. A. U. C. 506. Another tribune, 17 In the fixth century, the nobility of the

Anicius, A. U. C. 508. is cirtinguifhed by Anician name is mentioned (CalTiodor. Va-
the epithet of Praeneflin us. Livy .(xlv. 43.) nar. U *X. Ep. 10. 12.) with lingular re-
places the Anicii below the great families of fye&> by the rainifter of a Gothic king of
Rome. Italy.

1-98

THE DECLINE AND V ALL

C M A P. m eac]1 generation the number of confullhips was multiplied by an
v-i — I — — f hereditary claim ,s. The Anician family excelled in faith and in
riches : they were the firft of the Roman fenate who embraced
Chriftianity ; and, it is probable that Anicius Julian, who was after-
wards conful and prefect of the city, atoned for his attachment to
the party of Maxentius, by the readinefs with which he accepted the
religion of Conftantine 19 . Their ample patrimony was increafed by
the induftry of Probus, the chief of the Anician family ; who fhared
with Gratian the honours of the confulfhip, and exercifed, four times,
the high office of Pretorian prefect 2°. His immenfe eftates were
fcattered over the wide extent of the Roman world ; and though the
public might fufpect, or difapprove, the methods, by which they
had been acquired ; the generofity and magnificence of that fortunate
ftatefman deferved the gratitude of his clients, and the admiration
of ftrangers Such was the refpecl entertained for his memory,
that the two fons of Probus, in their earlieft youth, and at the requeft

** Fixus in omnes

Cognatos procedit honos ; quemcum-

que requiras
Hac de ftirpe virum, certum eft de

Confule nafci.
Per fafces numerantur Avi, femperque
renata

Nobiiitate virent, et prolem fata fe-
quuntur.

(Claudian in Prob. et Olyb. Confulat. 12,
&c.) The Annii, whofe name feems to
have merged in the Anician, mark the FalH
with many confullhips, from the time of
Vefpafian to the fourth century.

19 The title of firft Chriftian fenator may
be juftified by the authority of Prudentius
{in Symmach. i. 553. ), and the diflike of
the Pagans to the Anician family. See Til-
lemont, Hift. des Empereurs, torn. iv. p.
183. v. p. 44. Baron. Annal. A. D. 312.
Nc 78. A. D. 322. N° 2.

40 Probus . . . claritudine generis et pol-
len tia. et opum magnitudine, cognitus Orbi
Romano, per quern univerfum pcene patri-
monia fparfa poftedit, jufte an fecus non ju-
dicioli eft noftri. Ammian. Marcellin. xxvii.
11. His children and widow erected for
him a magnificent tomb in the Vatican»
which was demolilhed in the time of pope
Nicolas V. to make room for the new church
of St. Peter. Baronius, who laments the
ruin of this Chriftian monument, has dili-
gently pieferved the inferiptions and bafib-
relievos. See Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 395.
N°5-ir.

11 Two Perfian Satraps travelled to Milan
and Rome, to hear St. Ambrofe, and to fee
Probus. (Piiulin. in Vit. Ambrof.) Clau-
dian (in Conf. Probin. et Olybr. 30 — 60.)
feems at a lofs, how to exprefs the glory of
Probus.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

of the fenate, were aflbciated in the confular dignity : a memorable CHAP.

• XXXI
diftinction, without example, in the annals of Rome

" The marbles of the Anician palace," were ufed as a proverbial ex- Wealth of
prefflon of opulence and fplendour 23 ; but the nobles and fenators of noblesT"
Rome afpired, in due gradation, to imitate that illuftrious family.
The accurate defcription of the city, which was compofed in the
Theodolian age, enumerates one thoufand feven hundred and
eighty boufes, the refidence of wealthy and honourable citizens 2\
Many of thefe ftately manfions might almoft excufe the exaggeration
of the poet ; that Rome contained a multitude of palaces, and that
each palace was equal to a city : frnce it included within its own
precin&s, every thing which could be fubfervient either to ufe or
luxury; markets, hippodromes, temples, fountains, baths, porticos,
fhady groves, and artificial aviaries 25. The hiftorian Olympiodorus,
who reprefents the ftate of Rome when it was befieged by the
Goths 2S, continues to obferve, that feveral of the richeft fenators re-
ceived from their eftates an annual income of four thoufand pounds
of gold, above one hundred and fixty thoufand pounds fterling;
without computing the ftated provifion of corn and wine, which,
had they been fold, might have equalled in value one third of the
money. Compared to this immoderate wealth, an ordinary revenue of
a thoufand or fifteen hundred pounds of gold might be confidered as
ho more than adequate to the dignity of the fenatorian rank, which

" See the poem which Claudian addrefled vafion. A moderate palace would have co-

to the two noble youths. vered Cincinnatus's farm of four acres (Val.

13 Secundinus, the Manichaean, ap. Baron. Max. iv. 4.). Inlaxitatem ruris excurrunt

Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 390. N° 4. fays Seneca, Epiil. 114.. See a judious note

I+ See Nardini, Roma Antica, p. 89. of Mr. Hume, £fi*ays, vol. i. p. -62.

49S. 500. 8vo edition.

15 Quid loquar inclufas inter laquearia 16 This curious account of Rome, in the

fylvas; reign of Honorius, is found in a fragment

Vernula qu-e vario carmine ludit avis. of the hiltorian Olympiodorus, ap. Photium

Claud. Rutil. Numatian. Iiinerar. ver. m. p. 197.
The poet lived at the time of the Gothic in-

equ ired

eoo

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXXI.

required many expences of a public and oftentatious kind. Several
examples are recorded in the age of Honorius, of vain and popular
nobles who celebrated the year of their prastorfhip, by a feftival, which
lafted feven days, and coft above one hundred thoufand pounds fter-
ling *7. The eftates of the Roman fenators, which fo far exceed the
proportion of modern wealth, were not confined to the limits of
Italy. Their pofleffions extended far beyond the Ionian and iEgean
feas, to the moft diftant provinces ; the city of Nicopolis, which
Auguftus had founded as an eternal monument of the A&ian victory,
was the property of the devout Paula 18 ; and it is obferved by Se-
neca, that the rivers, which had divided hoftile nations, now flowed
through the lands of private citizens *9. According to their temper
and circumftances, the eftates of the Romans were either cultivated
by the labour of their flaves, or granted, for a certain and ftipu-
lated rent, to the induftrious farmer. The ceconomical writers of
antiquity ftrenuoufly recommend the former method, wherever it

17 The fons of Alypius, of Symmachus,
and of Maximus, fpent, during their refpec-
tive pranorfhips, twelve, or twenty, or forty,
centenaries (or, hundred weight of gold).
See Olympiodor. ap. Phot. p. 197. This po-
pular eftimation allows fome latitude ; but it
is difficult to explain a law in the Theodo-
fian Code (1. vi. leg. 5.), which fixes the
expence of the firft pra:tor at 25,000, of the
fecond at 20,000, and of the third at 15,000
folks. The name of follis (fee Mem", de
l'Academie des Infcriptions, torn, xxviii.
p. 727.) was equally applied to a purfe of
125 pieces of filver, and to a fmall copper
coin of the value of part of that purfe.
In the former fen fe, the 25,000 folies would be
equal to 150,000 1. in the latter to five or fix
pounds fterling. The one appears extrava-
gant, the other is ridiculous. There mud
Jiave exifted fome third, and middle value,
which is here underftood ; but ambiguity is
an inexcusable fault in the language of laws.

*8 Nicopolis ... in Aftiaco littofe fita
poflelTionis veftrae nunc pars vel maxima eft.
Jerom. in pia?fat. Comment, ad Epiflol. ad
Titum, torn. ix. p. 243. M. de Tillemont
fuppofes, ftrangely enough, that it was part
of Agamemnon's inheritance. Mem. Ecclef.
torn. xii. p. 85.

,9 Seneca, Epift. lxxxix. His language is
of the declamatory kind : but declamation
could fcarcely exaggerate the avarice and lux-
ury of the Romans. The philofopher him-
felf deferved fome fhare of the reproach ; if
it be true, that his rigorous exaftion of Qua-
dringenties, above three hundred thoufand
pounds, which he had lent at high intereit,
provoked a rebellion in Britain. (Dion
Caflius, 1. lxii. p. 1003.) According to the
conjecture of Gale ( Antoninus's Itinerary in
Britain, p. 92.), the fame Fauftinus poflefled
an eftate near Bury, in Suffolk, and another
in the kingdom of Naples.

may

man-
ners.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. , 201

Ynay be practicable; but if the object mould be removed, by its dif- CHAP,
tance or magnitude, from the immediate eye of the mafter, they *_ -. _j
prefer the active care of an old hereditary tenant, attached to the foil,
and interefted in the produce, to the mercenary adminiftration of a
negligent, perhaps an unfaithful, fteward 30.

The opulent nobles of an immenfe capital, who were never excited Their
by the purfuit of military glory, and feldom engaged in the occupa-
tions of civil government, naturally refigned their leifure to the bufi-
nefs and amufements of private life. At Rome, commerce was al-
ways held in contempt : but the fenators, from the firft age of the
republic, increafed their patrimony, and multiplied their clients, by
the lucrative practice of ufury ; and the obfolete laws were eluded,
or violated, by the mutual inclinations and intereft of both par-
ties3'. A confiderable mafs of treafure muft always have exifted
at Rome, either in the current coin of the empire, or in the
form of gold and filver plate; and there were many fide-boards
in the time of Pliny, which contained more folid filver, than had
been tranfported by Scipio from vanquifhed Carthage *\ The
greater part of the nobles, who diflipated their fortunes in pro-
fufe luxury, found themfelves poor in the midft of wealth ; and idle
in a conftant round of difiTpation. Their defires were continually
gratified by the labour of a thoufand hands ; of the numerous train
of their domeftic flaves, who were actuated by the fear of punifh-
ment; and of the various profeflions of artificers and merchants, who

30 Volufius, a wealthy fenator (Tacit, torn. i. p. 230—289.), that they were per-
Annal. iii. 30.), always preferred tenants mitted to take fix per cent, or one half of
born on the eftate. Columella, who receiv- the legal intereft ; and, what is more fingular,
ed this maxim from him, argues very judi- this permiflion was granted to the young fe-
=cioufly on the fubjeft. De Re Ruftica, !. i. nators.

c. 7. p. 408. edit. Gefner. Leipfig, 1735. %1 PHn. Hift. Natur. xxxiii. 50. He

31 Valefius (ad Ammian. xiv. 6.) has ftates the filver at only 4380 pounds, which
proved, from Chryfoftom and Auguftin, that is increafed by Livy (xxx. 45.) to 100,023 :
the fenators were not allowedto lend money the former feems too little for an opulent
at ufury. Yet it appears from the Theodo- city, the latter too much for any private
fian Code (fee Godefroy ad 1. ii. tit. xxxiii. fide-board.

Vol. 1IL D d were

202 THE DECLINE AND FALL

».

CHAP, were more powerfully impelled by the hopes of gain. The ancients:
XXXI. ' , ,

M were deftitute of many of the conveniencies of life, which have been

invented or improved by the progrefs of induftry; and the plenty of
glafs and linen has diftufed more real comforts among the modern na-
tions of Europe, than the fenators of Rome could derive from all the
refinements of pompous or fenfual luxury 33. Their luxury, and
their manners., have been the fubjecl: of minute and laborious difqui-
fition :. but as fuch enquiries would divert me too long from the defign
of the prefent work, I fhall produce an authentic ftate of Rome and
its inhabitants, which is more peculiarly applicable to the period of
the Gothic invafion. Ammianus Marcellinus, who prudently chofe
the capital of the empire, as the refidence the beft adapted to the
hiftorian of his own times, has mixed with the narrative of public
events, a lively reprefentation of the fcenes with which he was fami-
liarly converfant. The judicious reader will not always approve the
afperity of cenfure, the choice of circumftances, or the ftyle of ex-
preffion : he will perhaps detect the latent prejudices, and perfbnal
refentments, which foured the temper of Ammianus himfelf ; but
he will furely obferve, with philofophic curiofity, the interefting and
original picture of the manners of Rome 3+.
Character of " The greatnefs of Rome (fuch is the language of the hiftorian)
ncbksTby " was f°unded on the rare, and almoft incredible, alliance of virtue
Marcellinus. " ant* °^ f°rtime- Tne Iong period of her infancy was employed in
" a laborious ftruggle againft the tribes of Italy, the neighbours and

33 The learned. Arbuthnot (Tables of An- one piece, the fixth chapter of the fourteenth,

cient Coins, &c. p. 153.) has obferved with and the fourth of the twenty-eighth, book. 2.

humour, and I believe with truth, that Au- I have given order and connection to the con-

guftus had neither glafs to his windows, nor fufed mafs of materials. 3. I have foftened

a fliirt to his back. Under the lower empire, feme extravagant hyperboles, and pared

the ufe of linen and glafs became fomewhat away fome fuperfluities of the original. 4. I

more common. have developed fome obfervations which

3+ It is incumbent on me to explain the were infinuated, rather than exprefled. With

liberties which I have taken with the text of thefe allowances, my verfion will be found.,

Ammianus. 1. I have melted down into not literal indeed, but faithful and exadt.

" enemies

FO THE ROMAN EMPIRE. -203
enemies of the rifing city. In the ftrength and ardour of youth, c H A P«

XXXI*

" me fuftained the ftorms of war ; carried her victorious arms be-
" yond the feas and the mountains ; and brought home triumphal
M laurels from every country of the globe. At length, verging to-
" wards bid age, and fometimes conquering by the terror only of
" her name, me fought the bleffmgs of eafe and tranquillity. The
" venerable CITY, which had trampled on the necks of the
" fiercefl nations ; and eftablifhed a fyftem of laws, the perpetual
guardians of juftice and freedom ; was content, like a wife and
wealthy parent, to devolve on the Csefars, her favourite fons, the
care of governing her ample patrimony 3S. A fecure and pro-
" found peace, fuch as had been once enjoyed in the reign of Numa,
M fucceeded to the tumults of a republic : while Rome was ftill adored
w as the queen of the earth ; and the fubject nations ftill reverenced
" the name of the people, and the majefty of the fenate. But this
" native fplendour (continues x^mmianus) is degraded, and fullied,
u by the conduct of fome nobles ; who, unmindful of their own dig-
" nity, and of that of their country, affume an unbounded licence
" of vice and folly. They contend with each other in the empty
" vanity of titles and furnames ; and curioufly felect, or invent, the
" mod lofty and fonorous appellations, Reburrus, or Fabunius, Pa-
gonius, or Tarrafius 36, which may imprefs the ears of the vulgar
with aftonifhment and refpect. From a vain ambition of perpe-
tuating their memory, they affect to multiply their likenefs, in

35 Claudian, who fecms to have read the names. I am of opinion that they were in-

hiftory of Ammianus, fpeaks of this great vented by the hilborian himfelf, who was

revolution in a much lefs courtly ftyle : afraid of any perfonal fati.e or application.

n „ • /• ■ r o r It is certain, however, that the fimple deno-

roltquam jura ferox in ie communia Casiar . r

t- n. r. .1 r jr. r-~ minations or tne Romans were crauually

Tranitulit ; etlapfi mores ; deluetaque pnicis ° . '

. . • r -, „• Ienethened to the number of four, five, or

Artibus, in premium pacis iervile receln. a '

t\ 1 1 r.-u '• even ieven, pompous lurnames ; as for m-

De Bell. Gildonico, 40. a ■* a* • •

w* ltance, Marcus Mzcius Mxmmnis 1-unus

36 The minute diligence of antiquarians Balburius Cacilianus Placidus. See Noris
ias not been able to verify thefe extraordinary Cenotaph. Pifan. DilTert. iv. p. 438.

D d 2 " ftatues

2o4 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. « ftatues of bronze and marble ; nor are they fatisned, unlefs thofe

XXXI.

" ftatues are covered with plates of gold : an honourable diftincYion,.
" firft granted to Acilius the conful, after he had fubdued, by his
" arms and counfels, the power of king Antiochus. The oftenta-
•* tion of difplaying, of magnifying perhaps, the rent-roll of the
" eftates which they poflefs in all the provinces, from the rifing to
" the fetting fun, provokes the juft refentm-ent of every man, who
" recollects, that their poor and invincible anceftors were not diftin-
" guifhed from the meaneft of the foldiers, by the delicacy of their
" food, or the fplendour of their apparel. But the modern nobles
" meafure their rank and confequence according to the loftinefs of
M their chariots and the weighty magnificence of their drefs.
" Their long robes of filk and purple float in the wind ; and as they
" are agitated, by art or accident, they occafionally difcover the
M under garments, the rich tunics, embroidered with the figures of
" various animals 3\ Followed by a train of fifty fervants, and tear-
M ing up the pavement, they move along the ftreets with the fame
" impetuous fpeed as if they travelled with poft-horfes ; and the
" example of the fenators is boldly imitated by the matrons and
" ladies, whofe covered carriages are continually driving round the
" immenfe fpace of the city and fuburbs. Whenever thefe perfons

37 The carruca, or coaches of the Ro- modern coach, that is hung upon fprings,-

mans, were oiren of folid filver, curioufly is much preferable to the filver or gold carls

carved and engraved ; and the trappings of of antiquity, which rolled on the axle-tree,

the males, or horfes, were embolTed with and were expofed, for the moll part, to the

gold. This magnificence continued from inclemency of the weather,

the reign of Nero to that of Honorius ; and 1S In a homily cf Afterius, bifhop of Ama-

the Appian way was covered with the fplen- fia, M. de Valois has difcovered (ad Ammian.

did equipages of the nobles, who came out xiv. 6.) that this was a new fafliion ; that

to meet St. Melania, when fne returned to bears, wolves, Hons, and tygers, woods,

Rome, fix years before the Gothic fiege hunting-matches, &c. were rcprefented irv

(Seneca, epiftol. lxxxvii. Plin. Hift. Natur. embroidery; and that the more pious cox-

xxxiii. 49. Paulin. Nolan, apud Baron. An- combs fubftituted the figure or legend of fome

nal. Ecclef. A. D. 397. N° 5.). Yet pomp is favourite faint,
well exchanged for convenience ; and a plain

" of

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

a of high diftin&ion condefcend to viflt the public baths, they af- c HrA p-

XXXI.

" fume, on their entrance, a tone of loud and infolent command, v— —*

* and appropriate to their own ufe the conveniencies which were
** defigned for the Roman people. If, in thefe places of mixed and
" general reforty they meet any of the infamous minifters of their
" pleafures, they exprefs their affection by a tender embrace; while
" they proudly decline the falutations of their fellow-citizens, wha
" are not permitted to afpire- above the honour of kiffing their hands,
" or their knees. As foon as they have indulged thcmfelves in the
u refremment of the bath, they refume their rings, and the other
" enfigns of their dignity ; felect from their private wardrobe of the
" flneft linen, fuch as might fuffice for a dozen perfons, the garments
" the mod agreeable to their fancy, and maintain till their departure*
" the fame haughty demeanour ; which perhaps might have been ex—
" cufed in the great Marcellus, after the conqueft of Syracufe.
" Sometimes, indeed, thefe heroes undertake more arduous atchieve—
" ments ; they vifit their eftates in Italy, and procure themfelves?
M by the toil of fervile hands, the amufements of the chace 3&. If
** at any time, but more efpecially on a hot day, they have courage
" to fail, in their painted gallies, from the Lucrine lake40 to their
M elegant villas on the fea-coaft of Puteoli and Cayeta4', they com-

39 See Pliny's Epiftles, i. 6. Three large and his commentators, efpecially Catrou,
wild boars were allured and taken in the toils, have derived much light from Strabo, Sue-
without interrupting the ftudies of the philo- tonius, and Dion, Earthquakes and vulcanos
fophic fportfman. have changed the face of the country, and

40 The change from the inaufpicious turned the Lucrine lake, fince the year 1538,.
word A-vemus, which rtands in the text, is into the Monte Nuovo. See Camillo Pelle-
immaterial. The two lakes, Avernus and grino Difcorfi deila Campania Felice, p. 239.
Lucrinus, communicated with each other, 244, &c. Antonii Sanfelicii Campania, p.
and were falhioned by the ftupendous moles 13. 88.

of Agrippa into the Julian port, which *' The regna Cumana et Puteolana ; loca

opened, through a narrow entrance, into the caeteroqui valde expctenda, interpellantium

gulph of Puteoli. Virgil, who refided on autcm multitudine pcene fugienda. Cicero

the fpot, has defcribed (Georgic ii. 161.) ad Attic, xvi. 17.
this work at the moment of its execution ;

j " pare.

THE DECLINE AND E ALL

CHAP.

XXXI.

<l pare their own expeditions to the marches of Csefar and Alexander.
** Yet mould a fly prefume to fettle on the filken folds of their
** gilded umbrellas ; mould a fun-beam penetrate through fome un-
*' guarded and imperceptible chink, they deplore their intolerable
*' hardfhips, and lament, in affected language, that they were not
" born in the land of the Cimmerians **, the regions of eternal dark-
" nefs. In thefe journies into the country43, the whole body of
" the houfehold marches with their mafter. In the fame manner as
" the cavalry and infantry, the heavy and the light armed troops,
" the advanced guard and the rear, are marfhalled by the {kill of
'* their military leaders ; fo the domeftic officers, who bear a rod,
*• as an enfign of authority, diftribute and arrange the numerous
** train of flaves and attendants. The baggage and wardrobe move
" in the front ; and are immediately followed by a multitude of
" cooks, and inferior minifters, employed in the fervice of the
kitchens, and of the table. The main body is compofed of a
promifeuous crowd of flaves, increafed by the accidental concourfe
of idle or dependent plebeians. The rear is clofed by the favourite
band of eunuchs, diftributed from age to youth, according to the
order of feniority. Their numbers, and their deformity, excite
the horror of the indignant fpedtators, who are ready to execrate
the memory of Semiramis, for the cruel art which fhe invented,

A1 The proverbial evpreiTion of Cimmerian proach of a great man. 2. Their baggage-

darknefs was originally borrowed from the mules tranfported not only the precir.us vafes,

defcription of Homer (in the eleventh book but even the fragile ve/Tels of chryftal and

of the Odyfley), which he applies to a re- vturra, which lalt is almoft proved, by the"

mote and fabulous country on the mores of learned French tranflator of Seneca (torn. iii.

the ocean. See Erafmi Adagia, in his works, p. 402—422.) to mean the porcelain of

torn. ii. p. 593. the Leyden edition. China and Japan. 3. The beautiful faces

*3 We may learn from Seneca, epift. exxiii. of the young flaves were covered with a me-

three curious circumftances relative to the dicated cruft, or ointment, which fecured

journies of the Romans. 1 . They were pre- them againit the effecls of the fun and

ceded by a troop of Numidian light-horfe, frolt.
who announced, by a cloud of duft, the ap-

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

* of fruft rating the purpofes of nature, and of blafting in the bud
" the hopes of future generations. In the exercife of domeftic ju-
" rifdidtion, the nobles of Rome exprefs an exquifite fenfibility for

• any perfonal injury, and a contemptuous indifference for the reft
•* of the human fpecies. When they have called for warm water,
M if a Have has been tardy in his obedience, he is inftantly chaftifed
" with three hundred lafhes : but mould the fame flave commit a
" wilful murder, the mafter will mildly obferve, that he is a worth-
" lefs fellow ; but that, if he repeats the offence, he fhall not efcape
" puniiliment. Hofpitality was formerly the virtue of the Romans ;
" and every ftranger, who could plead either merit or misfortune,
" was relieved, or rewarded, by their generofity. At prefent, if a
" foreigner, perhaps of no contemptible rank, is introduced to one
" of the proud and wealthy fenators, he is welcomed indeed in the
" firft audience, with fuch warm profeflions, and fuch kind enqui-
" ries, that he retires, enchanted with the affability of his illuftrious
" friend, and full of regret that he had fo long delayed his journey
" to Rome, the native feat of manners, as well as of empire; Se-
" cure of a favourable reception, he repeats his vifit the enfuing
" day, and is mortified by the difcovery, that his perfon, his name,
" and his country, are already forgotten. If he ftill has refolution
" to perfevere, he is gradually numbered in the train of dependents,
" and obtains the permiflion to pay his amduous and unprofitable
" court to a haughty patron, incapable of gratitude or friendfhip -t
" who fcarcely deigns to remark his prefence, his departure, or his
*' return. Whenever the rich prepare a folemn and popular enter-
" tainment44 ; whenever they celebrate, with profufe and pernicious

u luxury,

^Diftributiofolemniumfportularum. The vifions, of the value of 100 quadrantes, or
fpcrtulre, or fportell<et were fmall bsfkets, twelve-pence halfpenny, which were ranged
kppofed to contain a quantity of hot pro- in order in the hall, and oftentatioully diihy

butei

THE DECLINE AND FALL

u luxury, their private banquets ; the choice of the guefts is the
" fubject of anxious deliberation. The modeft, the fober, and the
" learned, are feldom preferred ; and the nomenclators, who are
" commonly fwayed by interefted motives, have the addrefs to in-
" fert in the lift of invitations, the obfcure names of the moft worth-
" lefs of mankind. But the frequent and familiar companions of
" the great, are thofe parafites, who practife the moft ufeful of all
" arts, the art of fiattery ; who eagerly applaud each word, and
" every action of their immortal patron ; gaze with rapture on
" his marble columns, and variegated pavements ; and ftrenuoufly
*' praife the pomp and elegance, which he is taught to confider as a
" part of his perfonal merit. At the Roman tables, the birds, the
" fquirreh or the fifh, which appear of an uncommon fize, are
" contemplated with curious attention ; a pair of fcales is accurately
" applied, to afcertain their real weight ; and, while the more ra-
" tional guefts are difgufted by the vain and tedious repetition, nota-
** ries are fummoned to atteft, by an authentic record, the truth of
" fuch a marvellous event. Another method of introduction into
" the houfes and fociety of the great, is derived from the profeffion
" of gaming, or, as it is more politely ftyled, of play. The confe-

buted to the hungry or fervfle crowd, who
waited at the door. This indelicate cuftom
is very frequently mentioned in the epigrams
of Martial, and the fatires of Juvenal. See
likewife Suetonius, in Claud, c. 21. in Neron.
c. 16. in Domitian. c. 4. 7. Thefe baikets
of provifions were afterwards converted into
large pieces of gold and filver coin, or plate,
which were mutually given and accepted
even by the perfons of the higheftrank (See
Symmach. epift. nr. 55. ix. 124. and MifcelL
p. 256.), on folemn occanons, of confullhips,
.marriages, &c

45 The want of an Englilh name obliges
me to refer to the common genus of fqair-
rels, the Latin *lis, the French l<nr+ a little

animal who inhabits the woods, and remains
torpid in cold weather (See Plin. Hilt. Natur.
viii. 82. BufFon, Hift. Naturelle, torn. viii.
p. 158. Pennant's Synoplis of Quadrupeds,
p. 289.). The art of rearing and fattening
great numbers of glirts was practifed in Ro-
man villas, as a profitable article of rural
economy (Varro, de Re RulHca, iii. 15.).
The exceflSve demand of them for luxurious
tables, was increafed by the fcoiifh prohibi-
tions of the Cenfors ; and it is reported, that
they are ftill efteemed in modern Rome, and
are frequently fent as prefents by the Colonna
princes (See Brotier, the laft editor of Pliny,
tom.ii. p. 458. apud Barbou, 1 779.)-

" derates

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. •.' 209

" derates are united by a ftrid and indiflbluble bond of* friend- C £xdr?"

" Ihip, or rather of confpiracy ; a fuperior degree of fkiil in the

" Tefferarian art (which may be interpreted the game of dice antf

" tables 46) is a fure road to wealth and reputation. A mailer of

" that fublime fcience, who in a fupper, or aflembly, is placed below

" a magiftrate, difplays in his countenance the furprife and indig-

" nation, which Cato might be fuppofed to feel, when he was

" refufed the prsetorfhip by the votes of a capricious people. The

" acquifition of knowledge feldom engages the curiofity of the

" nobles, who abhor the fatigue, and difdain the advantages, of'

" ftudy ; and the only books which they perufe are the fatires of

" Juvenal, and the verbofe and fabulous hiftories of Marius Maxi-

u mus 4\ The libraries, which they have inherited from their fa-

'* thers, are fecluded, like dreary fepulchres, from the light of day \

" But the coftly inftruments of the theatre, flutes, and enormous

" lyres, and hydraulic organs, are conftructed for their ufe; and
the harmony of vocal and inftrumental mufic is inceflantiy re-

1 (* peated in the palaces of Rome. In thofe palace?, found is prc-

" ferred to fenfe, and the care of the body to that of the mind. It

*6 This game, which might be tranflated a copious torrent of'claflic and Oriental learn-
by the more familiar names of trittrac, or ing. See Syntagma DifTertat. torn. ii. p.
backgammon, was a favourite amufement of 217 — 405.

the graved Romans; and old Mucius Sea:- «■? Marius Maxim us, homo omnium verbo-

vola, the lawyer, had the reputation of a fiffimus, qui, et mythiltoricis fe voluminibus

very fkilful player. It was called ludus duo- implicavit. Vopifcu?, in Hift. Auguil. p.

decim fcriptorum, from the twelve /crifta, or 242. He wrote the lives of the Emperors,

lines, which equally divided the alveolus, or from Trajan to Alexander Sevei us. See

table. On thefe, the two armies, the white Gerard, Voflius de Hiltoricis Latin. 1. ii. c. 3.

aqd the black, each confiding of fifteen men, in his works, vol. iv. p. 57.
or calculi, were regularly placed, and alter- This fatire is probably exaggerated,

nately moved, according to the laws of the The Saturnalia of Macrobius, and the Epiltles

game; and the chances of the tejfera, or of Jerom, afford fatisfaftory proofs, that

dice. Dr. Hyde, who diligently traces the ChrilHan theology, and claflic literature-,

hiftory and varieties of the nerdiludium (a were ftudioufly cultivated bv fcveral Romans!

name of Perfic etymology) from Ireland to „f both faxes, and of the higheft rank. •
Japan, pours forth, on this trifling fubjecl,

Vol. Ill/ E e « is

2IO

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. « js allowed as a falutary maxim, that the light and frivolous fufpi-

v ' <c cion of a contagious malady, is of fumcient weight to excufe the

" vifits of the moft intimate friends ; and even the fervants, who are

" difpatched to make the decent enquiries, are not fuffered to return

" home, till they have undergone the ceremony of a previous ab-

" lution. Yet this felfifh and unmanly delicacy occasionally yields

" to the more imperious paflion of avarice. The profpecl of gain

" will urge a rich and gouty fenator as far as Spoleto j every fen-

" timent of arrogance and dignity is fubdued by the hopes of an in-

w heritance, or even of a legacy ; and a wealthy, childlefs, citizen is .

" the moft powerful of the Romans. The art of obtaining the

" fignature of a favourable teftament, and- fometimes of haftening

M the moment of its execution, is perfectly underftood ; and it has

u happened, that in the fame houfe, though in different apartments,

" a hufoand and a wife, with the laudable defign of over-reaching-

" each other, have fummoned their refpective lawyers, to declare, at

" the fame time, their mutual, but contradictory, intentions. The

" diftrefs which follows and chaftifes extravagant luxury, often i

" reduces the great to the ufe of the moft humiliating expedients.

" When they defire to borrow, they employ the bafe and fuppli-

" eating ftyle of the flave in the comedy ; but when they are called

" upon to pay, they affume the royal and tragic declamation of the

" grandfons of Kercules. If the demand is repeated, ' they readily

" procure fome trufty fycophant, inftructed to maintain a charge of

" poifon, or magic, againft the infolent creditor ; who is feldom

" releafed from prifon, till he has figned a difcharge of the whole

" debt. Thefe vices, which degrade the moral character of the

" Romans, are mixed with a puerile fuperftition, that difgraces

" their underftanding. They liften with confidence to the predic-

" tions of harufpices, who pretend to read, in the entrails of vic-

" tims, the figns of future greatnefs and profperity ; and there are

" many

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

211

many who do not prefume either to bathe, or to dine, or to ap- c A p-

aaaI.

" pear in public, till they have diligently confulted, according to the < . *

" rules of aftrology, the fituation of Mercury, and the afpecl: of the

" moon45. It is fingular enough, that this vain credulity may often

*' be difcovered among the profane fceptics, who impioufly doubt,

" or deny, the exiftence of a* celeftial power."

In populous cities, which are the feat of commerce and manu- State and

. . . character of

factures, the middle ranks of inhabitants, who derive their fubfift- the people of

ence from the dexterity, or labour, of their hands, are commonly me"
the raoft prolific, the moft ufeful, and, in that fenfe, the moft re-
fpectable, part ofthe community. But the plebeians of Rome, who
difdained fuch fedentary and ferviie arts, had been oppreffed, from
the earlieft times, by the weight of debt and ufury ; and the huf-
bandman, during the term of his military fervice, was obliged to
abandon the cultivation of his farm49. The lands of Italy, which
had been originally divided among the families of free and indigent
proprietors, were infenfibly purchafed, or ufurped, by the avarice
of the nobles ; and in the age which preceded the fall of the repub-
lic, it was computed, that only two thoufand citizens were pofTeffed
of any independent fubftance 5°. Yet as long as the people be-
llowed, by their fufFrages, the honours of the ftate, the command
of the legions, and the adminiftration of wealthy provinces, their
. confeious pride alleviated, in fome meafure, the hardfhips of pover-
ty ; and their wants were feafonably fupplied by the ambitious libe-

48 Macrobius, the friend of thefe Roman repeated in thofe primitive times, which
nobles, confidered the liars as the caufe, or have been fo undefervedly praifed.

at leaft the figns, of future events (de Spain. 50 Non efle in civitate duo millia hominum

Scipion. 1. i. c. 19. p. 68.). qui rem habcrent. Cicero. Offic. ii. 21. and

49 The hiitories of Livy (fee particularly Comment. Paul. Manut. in edit. Grasv. This
vi. 36.) are full of the extortions of the rich, vague computation was made A. U.C. 64.9. in
and the fuft'erings of the poor debtors. The a fpeech of the tribune Philippus ; and it was
melancholy itory of a brave old loldier (Dio- his objefl, as well as that of the Gracchi
nyf. Hal. L vi. c. 26. p. 347. edit. Hudfon, (fee Plutarch), to deplore, and perhaps to
and Livy, ii. 23.) mult have been frequently exaggerate, the miferyof the common people.

E e 2 rality

212

THE DECLINE AND FALL

° XXXI. P* ralIty of tlie cancutlates> wno afpired to fecure a venal majority in
— the thirty-five tribes, or the hundred and ninety-three centuries, of
Rome. But when the prodigal commons had imprudently alienated
not only the ufe, but the inheritance, of power, they funk, under
the reign of the Csefars, into a vile and wretched populace, which
muft, in a few generations, have been 'totally extinguifhed, if it had
not been continually recruited by the manumiffion of flaves, and the
influx of ftrangers. As early as the time of Hadrian, it was the
juft complaint of the ingenuous natives, that the capital had attracted
the vices of the univerfe, and the manners of the moft oppofite
nations. The intemperance of the Gauls, the cunning and levity
of the Greeks, the favage obftinacy of the Egyptians and Jews, the
fervile temper of theAfiatics, and the diflblute, effeminate proftitution
of the Syrians, were mingled in the various multitude ; which,
under the proud and falfe denomination of Romans, prefumed to
defpife their fellow- fubjects, and even their fovereigns, who dwelt
beyond the precincts of the eternal city 5I.
Public diftri- Yet the name of that city was ftill pronounced with refpect : the
bread" bacon, frequent and capricious tumults of its inhabitants were indulged
oil, wine, &c. with impunity ; and the fuccefibrs of Conftantine, inftead of crufh-
ing the laft remains of the democracy, by the ftrong arm of mili-
tary power, embraced the mild policy of Auguftus, and fludied to
relieve the poverty, and to amufe the idlenefs, of an innumerable
people 5\ I. For the convenience of the lazy plebeians, the monthly

diftributions

51 See the third Satire (60 — 125.) of Ju- in a ftate of exile, reminds her how few of
venal, who indignantly complains, the inhabitants of Rome were born in the

. Quamvis quotaportio fa;cis Achjei ! city.

Jampridem Syrus in Tiberim deflu.xit sl Almoft all that is faid of the bread,
Orontes ; bacon, oil, wine, &c. may be found in the

Er lirguam et mores, &c. fourteenth book of the Theodofian Code ;

Si u-ca, when he propofes to comfort his which exprefsly treats of the police of the
mother (Confolat. ad Helv. c. 6.) by the great cities. See particularly the titles iii.
rt Reclion, that a great part of mankind were iv. xv\ xvi. xvii. xxiv. The collateral tefti-

monies

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

213

diftributions of corn were converted into a daily allowance of bread ; c P.

a great number of ovens were constructed and maintained at the ' * '

public expence ; and at the appointed hour, each citizen, who was
furnimed with a ticket, afcended the flight of fteps, which had been
afligned to his peculiar quarter or divifion, and received, either as a
gift, or at a very low price, a loaf of bread of the weight of three
pounds, for the ufe of his family. II. The forefts of Lucaaia, whole
acorns fattened large droves of wild hogs", afforded, as a fpe^ ,
of tribute, a plentiful fupply of cheap and wholefome meat. During
five months of the year, a regular allowance of bacon was diftri-
buted to the poorer citizens -x and the annual confumption of the
capital, at a time when it was much declined from its former luftre,
was afcertained, by an edict of Valentinian the Third, at three
millions fix hundred and twenty-eight thoufand pounds 5*. III. In
the manners of antiquity, the ufe of oil was indifpenfable for the
lamp, as well as for the bath ; and the annual tax, which was im-
pofed on Africa for the benefit of Rome, amounted to the weight of
three millions of pounds, to the meafure, perhaps, of three hundred
thoufand Englifh gallons. IV. The anxiety of Auguftus to provide
the metropolis with fufficient plenty of corn, was not extended be-
yond that neceflary article of human fubfiftence ; and when the
popular clamour accufed the dearnefs and fcarcity of wine, a pro-

monies are produced in Godefroy's Com- " The anonymous author of the Defcrip-
mentary, and it is needlefs totranferibe them, tion of the World (p. 14. in torn. iii. Geo-
According to a law of Theodofius, which graph> Minor> Hudfon) obferves of Lucania,

appreciates in money the military allowance, a » , T . „ . . .

\r r , . ' ..... . 1 . ' in his barbarous Latin, Regio obtima, et

piece or eold (eleven Ihilnnps 1 was equivalent . , ., , , . . ,

~ - , , ri_ 1 "■ ■ 1,2 lpia omnious habundans, et lardum multuni

to eighty pounds or bacon, or to eighty pounds

of oil, or to twelve modii (or pecks) of fait f°ras emittit- Pr0Ptcr quod eft in montibus,

(Cod. Theod. I. viii. tit. iv. leg. 17.). This CUJUS ^fcam animalium variam, See.

equation, compared with another, of feventy 54 See Novell, ad calcem Cod. Theod. D.

pounds of bacon for an amphora (Cod. Theod. Valent. 1. i. tit. xv. This law was publiftitd

1. xiv. tit. iv. leg. 4.), fixes the price of wine at Rome June the 29th, A. D. 452.
at about fixteen pence the gallon.

clamatu>:\

214

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, clamation was iflued, by the grave reformer, to remind his fubjec"h

XXXI. '

v, that no man could reafonably complain of thirft, fince the aqueducts

of Agrippa had introduced into the city fo many copious ftreams
of pure and falubrious water 5S. This rigid fobriety was infenfibly
relaxed ; and, although the generous defign of Aurelian 56 does not
appear to have been executed in its full extent, the ufe of wine
was allowed on very eafy and liberal terms. The adminiftration of
the public cellars was delegated to a magiftrate of honourable rank ;
and a confiderable part of the vintage of Campania was referved for
the fortunate inhabitants of Rome.

Ufbof the The ftupendous aqueducts, fo juftly celebrated by the praifes of
Auguftus himfelf, replenifhed the Tberma, or baths, which had been
conftrudled, in every part of the city, with Imperial magnificence.
The baths of Antoninus Caracalla, which were open, at ftated hours,
for the indifcriminate fervice of the fenators and the people, con-
tained above fixteen hundred feats of marble ; and more than three
thoufand were reckoned in the baths of Diocletian The walls of
the lofty apartments were covered with curious mofaics, that imi-
tated the art of the pencil in the elegance of defign, and the variety
of colours. The Egyptian granite was beautifully incrufted with the
precious green marble of Numidia ; the perpetual ftream of hot
water was poured into the capacious bafons, through fo many wide
mouths of bright and mafly filver ; and the meaneft Roman could
purchafe, with a fmall copper coin, the daily enjoyment of a fcene
•of pomp and luxury, which might excite the envy of the kings of

55 Sueton. in Auguft. c. 42. The utmoft s6 His deiign was to plant vineyards along

debauch of the emperor himfelf, in his fa- the fea coaft of Hetruria (Vopifcus, in Hift.

vourite wine of Rhaetia, never exceeded a Auguft. p. 225.); the dreary, unwholefome,

fextarius (an Englilh pint). Id. c. 77. Tor- uncultivated Maremme of modern Tufcany.
rentius ad loc. and Arbuthnot's Tables, p. 57 Olympiodor. apud Phot. p. 197.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

215

Afia 5S. From thefe ftately palaces ifliied a fwarm of dirty and rag- C HA P.
ged plebeians, without fhoes, and without a mantle; who loitered ^ —
away whole days in the ftreet or Forum, to hear news, and to hold
difputes; who diffipated, in extravagant gaming, the miferable pit-
tance of their wives and children ; and fpent the hours of the night
in obfcure taverns, and brothels, in the indulgence of grofs and vul-
gar fenfuality 59.

But the moft lively and fplendid amufement of the idle multi- Games and
tude, depended on the frequent exhibition of public games and fPeftacles-
fpedtacles. The piety of Chriftian princes had fupprelTed the inhu-
man combats of gladiators ; but the Roman people ftill confidered
the Circus as their home, their temple, and the feat of the republic.
The impatient crowd rufhed at the dawn of day to fecure their
places, and there were many who palled a fleeplefs and anxious
night in the adjacent porticos. From the morning to the evening,
carelefs of the fun, or of the rain, the fpectators, who fometimes
amounted to the number of four hundred thoufand, remained in
eager attention ; their eyes fixed on the horfes and charioteers, their
minds agitated with hope and fear, for the fuccefs of the colours
which they efpoufed : and the happinefs of Rome appeared to hang
on the event of a race 6°. The fame immoderate ardour infpired

58 Seneca (epiftol. Ixxxvi.) compares the to juvena]i Satir> xi> Igi> &c> The ex_
baths of Scipio Africanus, at his villa of Li- preffions of the hiftorian Ammianus are not

ternum, with the magnificence (which was , r n , . , . ./•<•!_

. ' . . . 6 - . , ,• , , r le-rs ftrong and animated than thofe of the

continually increafing) of the puouc baths of '■ ..«,"., ,

„ , , c n. . 1 t.i c latirilt ; and both the one and the other

Rome, long before the ftately Therma; of

Antoninus and Diocletian were ereded. The painted from the life. The numbers which

quadrans paid for admiflion was the quarter the great Circus was capable of receiving,

of the as, about one-eighth of an Englilh are taken from the original Notitics of the

penny. » city. The differences between them prove

» Ammianus (I. xiv. c. 6. and 1. xxviii. that they did not tranfcribe each other . but

c. 4..), after defcribing the luxury and pride , c . .... , . ,

r \ iii r r. r , the fum may appear incredible, thoueh the

of the nobles of Rome, expofes, with equal * ■ **

indignation, the vices and follies of the com- country on thefe occafions flocked to the

mon people. cltX«

^ their

THE DECLINE AND FALL

their clamours, and their applaufe, as often as they were entertained
with the hunting of wild beafts, and the various modes of theatrical
rcprcfentation. Thefe reprefentations in modern capitals may deferve
to be confidered as a pure and elegant fchool, of tafte, and perhaps
of virtue. But the Tragic and Comic Mufe of the Romans, who
fcidoin afpircd beyond the imitation of Attic genius6', had been al-
moft totally filent fince the fall of the republic M; and their place was
unworthily occupied by licentious farce, effeminate mufic, and fplen-
did pageantry. The pantomimes63, who maintained their reputation
from the age of Auguftus to the fixth century, expreffed, without
the ufe of words, the various fables of the gods and heroes of anti-
quity ; and the perfection of their art, which fometimes difarmed
the gravity of the philofopher, always excited the applaufe and
wonder of the people. The vaft and magnificent theatres of Rome
w e re filled by three thoufand female dancers, and by three thoufand
fingers, with the matters of the refpe&ive choruffes. Such was
the popular favour which they enjoyed, that, in a time of fcarcity,
when all ftrangers were banifhed from the city, the merit of contri-
buting to the public pleafures exempted them from a law, which
was ftrictly executed againft the profeffors of the liberal arts 6\

Sometimes indeed they compofed ori-
ginal pieces.

Veftigia Grajca

Aufi 3eferere et celebrare domeftica facta.
Horat. Epiftol. ad Pifones, 285. and the
learned, though perplexed, note of Dacier,
who might have allowed the name of trage-
dies to the Brutus and the Pectus of Pacuvius,
or to the Cato of Maternus. The Oftavia,
afcribed to one of the Senecas, (till remains
a very unfavourable fpecimcn of Roman
tragedy.

61 In the time of Quintilian and Pliny,
a tragic poet was reduced to the imperfect
.method of hiring a great room, and reading

his play to the company, whom he invited
for that purpofe (See Dialog.de Oratoribus,
c. 9. 11. and Plin. Epiftol. vii. 17.),

03 Sec the Dialogue of Lucian, intitled,
De Saltatione, torn. ii. p. 265 — 317. edit.
Reitz. The pantomimes obtained the ho-
nourable name of x^e^Q^' i and it was re-
quired, that they fhould be converfant with
almort every art and fcience. Burette (in the
Memoires de I'Academie des Infcriptions,
torn. i. p. 127, &c.) has given a fhort hif-
tory of the art of pantomimes,

6+ Ammianus, 1. xiv. c. 6. He complains,
with decent indignation, that the ftreets of
Rome were filled wish crowds of females,

•who

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 217
It is faid, that the fooliih curiofity of Elagabalus attempted to CHAP.

• XXXI.
difcover, from the quantity of fpiders webs, the number of the in- I v 1 »

habitants of Rome. A more rational method of enquiry might not *j? Kj?***"*
have been undeferving of the attention of the wifeft princes, who
could eafily have refolved a queftion fo important for the Roman
government, and fo interefting to fucceeding ages. The births and
deaths of the citizens were duly regiftered ; and if any writer of an-
tiquity had condefcended to mention the annual amount, or the
common average, we might now produce fome fatisfactory calcula-
tion, which would deftroy the extravagant affertions of critics, and
perhaps confirm the modeft and probable conjectures of philofo-
phers C5. The moft diligent refearches have collected only the fol-
lowing circumftances ; which, flight and imperfect as they are, may
tend, in fome degree, to illuftrate the queftion of the populoufnefs
of ancient Rome. I. When the capital of the empire was befieged
by the Goths, the circuit of the walls was accurately meafured, by
Ammonius, the mathematician, who found it equal to twenty- one
miles 66. It mould not be forgotten, that the form of the city was
almoft that of a circle ; the geometrical figure which is known to
contain the largeft fpace within any given circumference. II. The
architect Vitruvius, who flourifhed in the Auguftan age, and whofe
evidence, on this occafion, has peculiar weight and authority, ob-
ferves, that the innumerable habitations of the Roman people would
have fpread themfelves far beyond the narrow limits of the city ; and
that the want of ground, which was probably contracted on every

who might have given children to the ftate, ftrangc dreams of four, or eight, or fourteen

but whefe only occupation was to curl and millions in Rome. Mr. Hume (EfTays, vol. i.

drefs their hair, and jaftari volubilibus gyris, p. 450— 457. ), with admirablegood fenfeand

dum exprimunt innumera fimulacra, quae fcepcicifm, betrays fome fecrct difpofttion to

finxerc fabula; theatrales. extenuate the populoufnefs of ancient times.

65 Lipfius (torn. iii. p. 423. de Magnitud. ft6 Olyinpiodor. ap. Phot. p. 197. See

Romana, 1. iii. c. 3.) and Ifarc Vofiius (Ob- Fabriciu?, Bibl. Grsc. torn. ix. p. 400.
•fervat. Var. p. 26 — 34.) have indulged

Vol. III. F f fide

ai8 THE DECLINE AND FALL

^P. fide by gardens and villas, fuggefted the common, though inccnve-

v ' nient, practice of raifmg the houfes to a confiderable height in the

air ('\ But the loftincfs of thefe buildings, which often confifted of
hafty work, and infufficient materials, was the caufe of frequent and
fatal accidents ; and it was repeatedly enacted by Auguftus, as well
as by Nero, that the height of private edifices, within the walls of
Rome, mould not exceed the meafure of feventy feet from the
ground r'\ III. Juvenal 69 laments, as it mould feem from his own
experience, the hardfhips of the poorer citizens, to whom he ad-
drelTes the falutary advice of emigrating, without delay, from the
fmoke of Rome; fince they might purchafe, in the little towns of
Italy, a cheerful commodious dwelling, at the fame price which they
annually paid for a dark and miferable lodging. Houfe-rent was
therefore immoderately dear : the rich acquired, at an enormous
expence, the ground, which they covered with palaces and gardens j
but the body of the Roman people was crowded into a narrow
fpace ; and the different floors, and apartments, of the fame houfe>
were divided, as it is ftill the cuftom of Paris, and other cities, among
feveral families of plebeians. IV. The total number of houfes in

67 In ea autem majeftate urbis, et civium
infinita frequentiainnumerabiles habitationes
opus fuit explicare. Ergo cum recipere non
poffet area plana tantam mukitudinem in
urbe, ad auxilium altitudinis scdificiorum
res ipfa coegit devenire. Vitruv. ii. 8. This
paftage, which I owe to Voffius, is clear,
itrong, and comprehenfive.

158 The fucceffive teftimonies of Pliny,
Ariftides, Claudian, Rutilius, &c. prove the
infufRciency of thefe reftriclive edicts. See
Lipfius, de Magnitud. Romana, 1. iii. c.

Tabulata tibi jam tertia fumant

Tu nefcis ; nam fi gradibus trepidatur ab
imis

■ ' ' *• * *

Ultimus ardebit, quern tegula fola tuetur
A pluvia. Juvenal. Satir. iii. 199.

69 Read the whole third fatire, but parti-
cularly 166. 223, &c. The defcription of a
crowded iufula, or lodging-houfe, in Petro-
nius (c. 95. 97.), perfectly tallies with the
complaints of Juvenal ; and we learn from
legal authority, that, in the time of Auguftus
(Heineccius, Hift. Juris Roman, c. iv. p.
181.), the ordinary rent of the feveral ccrna-
cula, or apartments of an infula, annually
produced forty thoufand fefterces, between
three and four hundred pounds lierling (Pan-
dect. 1. xix. tit. ii. N° 30.) ; a fum which
proves at once the large extent, and high
value, of thofe common buildings.

the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

219

the fourteen regions of the city, is accurately ftated in the defcription Cjj^£T p*
of Rome, compofed under the reign of Theodofius, and they — ,/-——'
amount to forty-eight thoufand three hundred and eighty-two 7 \
The two clafles of domus and of Infula , into which they are divided,
include all the habitations of the capital, of every rank and condition,
from the marble palace of the Anicii, with a numerous eftablifhment
of freedmen and Haves, to the lofty and narrow lodging-houfe, where
the poet Codrus, and his wife, were permitted to hire a wretched garret
immediately under the tiles. If we adopt the fame average, which,
under fimilar circumftances, has been found applicable to Paris 7I, and
indifferently allow about twenty-five perfons for each houfe, of every
degree, we may fairly eftimate the inhabitants of Rome at twelve
hundred thoufand : a number which cannot be thought exceffive for
the capital of a mighty empire, though it exceeds the populoufiiefs
of the greateft cities of modern Europe 7\

Such was the ftate of Rome under the reign of Honorius ; at the Rr& fiege of
time when the Gothic army formed the fiege, or rather the blockade, Goths, ' '
of the city 7\ By a fkilful difpofition of his numerous forces, who A" D' 4°8'
impatiently watched the moment of an aflault, Alaric encompafled
the walls, commanded the twelve principal gates, intercepted all
communication with the adjacent country, and vigilantly guarded the
navigation of the Tyber, from which the Romans derived the fureft

70 This fum total is compofed of 1780 from that which M Erotier, the laft editor of
domus, or great houfes, of 46,602 infula, or Tacitus (torn. ii. p. 380.), has affumed from
plebeian habitations (See Nardini, Roma fimilar principles; though he {es in s to aim
Antica, 1. Hi. p. 83.) ; and thefe numbers at a degree of precifion, which iris neither *t
are afcemined by the agreement of the texts poflible nor important to obtain.

of the different N^titite. Nardini, 1. viii. 73 For the events of the £rft fiege of

p. 498. ceo. Rome, which are often confounded with

71 See that accurate writer M. de Me/lance, thofe of the fecond and third, fee Zofimus,
Rccherches fur la Population, p. 175 — 187. I. v. p. 350 354. Sozomen, !. ix. c. 6.
From probable, or certain grounds, he afligns Olympiodorus, ap. Phot. p. 180. Philo-
toP.iris 23,565 houfes, 71,114 families, and fiorgius, 1. xii. c. 3. and Godefroy, Di/leriat.
576,630 inhabitants. p. 467 — 475.

72 This computation is not very different

* F f 2 and

220

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. and moft plentiful fupply of provifions. The firfl: emotions of the
c- — —J nobles, and of the people, were thole of furprife and indignation
that a vile Barbarian fhould dare to infult the capital of the world :
but their arrogance was foon humbled by misfortune j and their
unmanly rage, inftead of being directed againft an enemy in arms,
was meanly exerciled on a dtfencdefs and innocent victim. Per-
haps in the perfon of Serena, the Romans might have re-
flected the niece of Theodofius, the aunt, nay even the adoptive
mother, of the reigning emperor : but they abhorred the widow of
Stilicho ; and they liftened with credulous paflion to the tale of ca-
lumny, which accufed her of maintaining a fecret and criminal cor-
refpondence with the Gothic invader. Actuated, or overawed, by
the fame popular frenzy, the fenate, without requiring any evidence
of her guilt, pronounced the fentence of her death. Serena was
ignominioufly ftrangled; and the infatuated multitude were aftoniihed
to find, that this cruel act of injuftice did not immediately produce
Tamine. the retreat of the Barbarians, and the deliverance of the city. That
unfortunate city gradually experienced the diftrefs of fcarcity, and at
length the horrid calamities of famine. The daily allowance of three
pounds of bread was reduced to one-half, to one-third, to nothing j
and the price of corn ftill continued to rife in a rapid and extrava-
gant proportion. The poorer citizens, who were unable to purchafe
the necefiaries of life, folicited the precarious charity of the rich ;
and for a while the public mifery was alleviated by the humanity of
Lxta, the widow of the emperor Gratian, who had fixed her refi-
dence at Rome, and confecrated, to the ufe of the indigent, the
princely , revenue, which me annually received from the grateful
fucceflfors of her hufband 7+. But thefe private and temporary dona-
tives were infufficient to appeafe the hunger of a numerous people;

74 The mother of Lxta was named Piflumena. Her father, family, and country are
unknown. Ducange, Fam. Byzantin. p. 59.

3 and

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

221

and the progrefs of famine invaded the marble palaces of the fenators

themfelves. The perfons of both fexes, who had been educated in » „ — -»

the enjoyment of eafe and luxury, difcovered how little is rcquifite
to fupply the demands of nature ; and lavifhed their unavailing
treafures of geld and filver, to obtain the coarfe and fcanty fuftenance
which they would formerly have rejected with difdain. The food
the moft repugnant to fenfe or imagination, the aliments the moft
unwholefome and pernicious to the conftitution, were eagerly de-
voured, and fiercely difputed, by the rage of hunger. A dark
fufpicion was entertained, that fome defperate wretches fed on the
bodies of their fellow-creatures, whom they had fecretly murdered j
and even mothers (fuch was the horrid conflict of the two moft
powerful inftincts implanted by nature in the human bread), even
mothers arefaid to have tafted the flefh of their flaughtered infants 7S!
Many thoufands of the inhabitants of Rome expired in their houfes, Plague*,
or in the ftreets, for want of fuftenance ; and as the public fepul-
chres without the walls were in the power of the enemy, the
flench, which arofe from fo many putrid and unburied carcafTes, in-
fected the air ; and the miferies of famine were fucceeded and ag-
gravated by the contagion of a peftilential difeafe. The affurances of
fpeedy and effectual relief, which were repeatedly tranfmitted from
the court of Ravenna, fupported, for fome time, the fainting re-
solution of the Romans, till at length the defpair of any human aid
tempted them to accept the offers of a preternatural deliverance. Superilition..
Pompeianus, prefect of the city, had been perfuaded, by the art or
fanaticifm. of fome Tufcan diviners, that, by the myfterious force of

75 Ad nefandos cibos erupit cfurientium
rabies, et fua invicem membra laniarunt,
dum mater non parcit la&enti infantiae ; et
recipit utero, quem paulld ante effuderat.
Jerom ad Principiam, torn. i. p. 121. The
£ame horrid circumflance fa likewife told of

the fieges of Jerufalem and Paris. For the
latter, compare the tenth book of the Hen-
riade, and the Journal de Henri IV. torn, i..
p.47 — 83.; and obferve that aplain narrative
of facts is much more pathetic, than the
moll laboured defcriptions of epic poetry.

fpells

THE DECLINE AND FALL

ipells and facrifices, they could extract the lightning from the clouds,
and point thofe celeftial fires againft the camp of the Barbarians 76.
The important fecret was communicated to Innocent, the bifhop of
Rome ; and the fucceflbr of St. Peter is accufed, perhaps without
foundation, of preferring the fafety of the republic to the rigid fe-
verity of the Chriftian worfhip. But when the queftion was agi-
tated in the fenate; when it was propofed, as an efiential condition*
that thofe facrifices mould be performed in the Capitol, by the au-
thority, and in the prefence of, the magiftrates; the majority of that
refpc&able affembly, apprehenfive either of the Divine, or of the
Imperial, difplcafure, refufed to join in an act, which appeared
almoft equivalent to the public reftoration of Paganifm 11 .

The laft refource of the Romans was in the clemency, or at leaft
in the moderation, of the king of the Goths. The fenate, who in
this emergency affumed the fupreme powers of government, appointed
two ambaffadors to negociate with the enemy. This important truft
was delegated to Bafilius, a fenator, of Spanifh extraction, and al-
ready confpicuous in the administration of provinces ; and to John,
the firft tribune of the notaries, who was peculiarly qualified, by
his dexterity in bufinefs, as well as by his former intimacy with the

7* Zofimus (I. v. p. 355, 3156.) fpeaks of
rhfcfe ceremonies, like a Greek unacquainted
.with the national fuperftition of Rome and
Tufcany. I fufpeft, that they confifled of
two parts, the fecret, and the public; the
former were probably an imitation of the arts
and fpells, by which Numa had drawn down
Jupiter and his thunder on Mount Aven-
tine.

Quid agant laqueis, quae carmina

dicant

Quaque trahant fuperis fedibus arte
jovem
Scire ncfas homini.
The ancilia, or lhields of Mars, the pigncra
Imperii, which were carried in folemn pro-

ceflion on the calends of March, derived
their origin from this myfterious event (Ovid.
Faft. iii. 259 — 39S.). It was probably de-
figned to revive this ancient feftival, which
had been fuppreflcd by Theodofius. In that
cafe, we recover a chronological date (March
the ift, A. D. 409.) which has not hitherto
been obferved.

77 Sozomen (1. ix. c. 6.) infir.uates, that
the experiment was actually, though unfuc-
cefsfully, made ; but he does not mention
the name of Innocent : and Tillemont (Mem.
Ecclef. torn. x. p. 645.) is determined net
to believe, that a pope could be guilty of
fuch impious condefcenlion.

Gothic

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

Gothic prince. When they were introduced into his prefenee, they
declared, perhaps in a more lofty ftyle than became their abject
condition, that the Romans were refolved to maintain their dignity,
either in peace or war ; and that, if Alaric refufed them a fair
and honourable capitulation, he might found his trumpets, and
prepare to give battle to an innumerable people, excrcifed in arms,
and animated by defpair. " The thicker the hay, the eafier it
" is mowed," was the concife reply of the Barbarian ; and this
ruflic metaphor was accompanied by a loud and infulting laugh,
expreffive of his contempt for the menaces of an unwarlike popu-
lace, enervated by luxury before they were emaciated by famine.
He then condefcended to fix the ranfom, which he would accept as
the price of his retreat from the walls of Rome : all the gold and
filver in the city, whether it were the property of the flate, or of
individuals ; all the rich and precious moveables ; and all the flaves
who could prove their title to the name of Barbarians. The mi-
nifters of the fenate prefumed to afk, in a modeft and fuppliant tone,
" If fuch, O King, are your demands, what do you intend to leave
" us ?" " Your lives ;" replied the haughty conqueror : they
trembled, and retired. Yet before they retired, a fhort fufpenfion
of arms was granted, which allowed fome time for a more temperate
negociation. The ftern features of Alaric were infenfibly relaxed ; he
. abated much of the rigour of his terms ; and at length confented
to raife the fiege, on the immediate payment of five thoufand pounds'
of gold, of thirty thoufand pounds of filver, of four thoufand robes
of filk, of three thoufand pieces of fine fcarlet cloth, and of three
thoufand pounds weight of pepper 7\ But the public treafury was

exhaufted ;

78 Pepper was a favourite ingredient of Natur. xii. 14. It was brought from India ;
the moft expenfive Roman cookery, and the and the fame country, the coafl of Malabir,
beft fort- commonly fold for fifteen denarii, ftill afFords the greatell plenty : but the im-
or ten millings,. the pound. See Pliny, Hi£.. provemem of trade and navigation has mul-

224

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. exhaufted ; the annual rents of the great eftates in Italy and the

X A.AL

< wmm t provinces, were intercepted by the calamities of war ; the gold and
gems had been exchanged, during the famine, for the vileft fuftc-
nance ; the hoards of fecret wealth were ftill concealed by the obfti-
nacy of avarice j and fome remains of confecrated fpoils afforded
the only refource that could avert the impending ruin of the city.
As foon as the Romans had fatisfied the rapacious demands of Ala-
ric, they were reftored, in fome meafure, to the enjoyment of peace
and plenty. Several of the gates were cautioufly opened ; the import-
ation of provifions from the river, and the adjacent country, was
no longer obftructed by the Goths ; the citizens reforted in crowds
to the free market, which was held during three days in the fuburbs;
and while the merchants who undertook this gainful trade, made a
confiderable profit, the future fubfiftence of the city was fecured by
the ample magazines which were depofited in the public and private
granaries. A more regular difcipline, than could have been expected,
was maintained in the camp of Alaric ; and the wife Barbarian
juflified his regard for the faith of treaties, by the juft feverity with
which he chaftifed a party of licentious Goths, who had infulted
fome Roman citizens on the road to Oftia. His army, enriched by
the contributions of the capital, flowly advanced into the fair and
fruitful province of Tufcany, where he propofed to eftablifh his
winter-quarters ; and the Gothic ftandard became the refuge of forty
thoufand Barbarian flaves, who had broke their chains, and afpired,
under the command of their great deliverer, to revenge the injuries,
and the difgrace, of their cruel fervitude. About the fame time,
he received a more honourable reinforcement of Goths and Huns,
whom Adolphus 79 ', the brother of his wife, had conducted, at his

pre fling

tiplied the quantity, and reduced the price. 7? This Gothic chieftain is called by Jor-
Sce Hiftoirc Politique ct Philofophique, &c. nandes and Jfidoie, Athaulphus ; by Zofunus
torn. i. J[. 457. and Orolius, Ataidphus; and by Olympio-

dorusj

'#|

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 225

preffing invitation, from the banks of the Danube to thofe of the CHAP.

• • /» .XXXI.

Tyber ; and who had cut their way, with fome difficulty and lofs, < — „ *j
through the fuperior numbers of the Imperial troops. A victorious
leader, who united the daring fpirit of a Barbarian with the art
and difcipline of a Roman general, was at the head of an hundred
thoufand fighting men; and Italy pronounced, with terror and rc-
fpect, the formidable name of Alaricto.

At the diftance of fourteen centuries, we may be fatisfied with Fruitiefs r.e-

gociations

relating the military exploits of the conquerors of Rome, without for peace,
prefuming to inveftigate the motives of their political conduct. In ' ' 4 9*
the midft of his apparent profperity, Alaric was confcious, perhaps,
of fome fecret weaknefs, fome internal defect ; or perhaps the mo-
deration which he difplayed, was intended only to deceive and dis-
arm the eafy credulity of the minifters of Honorius. The king of
the Goths repeatedly declared, that it was his defire to be confidered
as the friend of peace, and of the Romans. Three fenators, at his
earneft requeft, were fent ambafladors to the court of Ravenna, to
folicit the exchange of hoflages, and the conclufion of the treaty ;
and the propofals, which he more clearly expreffed during the courfe
of the negotiations, could only infpire a doubt of his fmcerity, as
they might feem inadequate to the ftate of his fortune. The Bar-
barian {till afpired to the rank of mafter-general of the armies of
the Weft ; he ftipulated an annual fubfidy of corn and money; and
he chofe the provinces of Dalmatia, Noricum, and Venetia, for the
feat of his new kingdom, which would have commanded the im-
portant communication between Italy and the Danube. If thefe
modeft terms mould be rejected, Alaric mewed a difpofition to relin-

dorus, Adaculphus. I have ufed the celebrated mans, &c. is taken from Zofimus, 1. v. p.

name of Adolphus, which feems to be autho- 354., 355. 358, 359. 362, 363. The addi-

rifed by the praftice of the Swedes, the fons tional circumftances are too few and trifling

or brothers of the ancient Goths. to require any other quotation.
*° The treaty between Alaric and the Ro-

Vol. III. G g quifli

226

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, quifh his pecuniary demands, and even to content himfelf with the-
i — -v- — ' poffeffion of Noricum ; an exhaufted and impoverifhed country,
perpetually expofed to the inroads of the Barbarians of Germany8'.
But the hopes of peace were difappointed by the weak obftinacy, or
interefted views, of the minifter Olympius. Without liftening to
the falutary remonftrances of the fenate, he difmiffed their ambafla-
dors under the conduct of a military efcort, too numerous for a re-
tinue of honour, and too feeble for an army of defence. Six
thoufand Dalmatians, the flower of the Imperial legions, were or-
dered to march from Ravenna to Rome, through an open country,
which was occupied by the formidable myriads of the Barbarians.
Thefe brave legionaries, encompalTed and betrayed, fell a facrifice
to ministerial folly ; their general Valens, with an hundred foldiers,
efcaped from the field of battle ; and one of the ambaffadors, who
could no longer claim the protection of the law of nations,, was
obliged to purchafe his freedom with a ranfom of thirty thoufand
pieces of gold. Yet Alaric, inftead of refenting this act of impotent
hoftiiity, immediately renewed his propofals of peace : and the fecond
embafly of the Roman fenate, which derived weight and dignity
from the prefence of Innocent, bifhop of the city, was guarded
from the dangers of the road by a detachment of Gothic fol-
diers s\

Change and Olympius 83 might have continued to infult the juft refentment of
a people, who loudly accufed him as the author of the public cala-
mities ; but his power wa3 undermined by the lecret intrigues of the
palace. The favourite eunuchs transferred the government of Ho-
norius, and the empire, to Jovius, the Prsetorian prefect ; an un-

1 1 Zofimus, t. v. p. 367, 368, 369. " For the adventures of Olympius, ani

81 Zofimus, I. v. p. 360, 361, 362. The his fucceflbrs in the miniftry, lee Zofimus,
bifaop, by remaining at Ravenna, efcaped 1. v. p. 363. 365, 366. and Olympiodor. ap.
the impending calamities of the city. Oro- Phot. p. 180, i8l.
fins, I. vii. c. 39. p. 573.

worthy

fucceilion of
xninifters.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

worthy fervant, who did not atone, by the merit of perfonal attachment,
for the errors and misfortunes of his adminiftration. The exile, or
efcape, of the guilty Olympius, referred him for more viciffitudes of for-
tune : he experienced the adventures of an obfcure and wandering life ;
he again rOfe to power ; he fell a fecond time into difgrace ; his ears
were cut off ; he expired under the lam ; and his ignominious death
afforded a grateful fpectacle to the friends of Stilicho. After the re-
moval of Olympius, whofe character was deeply tainted with religious
fanaticifm, the Pagans and heretics were delivered from the impolitic
profcription, which excluded them from the dignities of the ftate.
The brave Gennerid3*, a foldier of Barbarian origin, who ftill adhered
to the worfhip of his anceftors, had been obliged to lay afide the
military belt : and though he was repeatedly affured by the emperor
himfelf, that laws were not made for perfons of his rank or merit,
he refufed to accept any partial difpenfation, and perfevered in ho-
nourable difgrace, till he had extorted a general act of juftice from
the diftrefs of the Roman government. The conduct of Gennerid,
in the important ftation, to which he was promoted or reftored, of
matter-general of Dalmatia, Pannonia, Noricum, and Rhsetia, feemed
to revive the difcipline and fpirit of the republic. From a life of
idlenefs and want, his troops were foon habituated to fevere exercife,
and plentiful fubfiftence ; and his private generofity often fupplied
the rewards, which were denied by the avarice, or poverty, of the
court of Ravenna. The valour of Gennerid, formidable to the ad-
jacent Barbarians, was the firmeft bulwark of the Illyrian frontier ;
and his vigilant care aflifted the empire with a reinforcement of tet#

84 Zofimus (1. v. p. 364.) relates this cir- court of Ravenna, to complain cf the law,
cumftance with vifible complacency, and ce- which had been juft enafled, that all corner -
lebrates the character of Gennerid as the lions to Chrillianity mould be free and volun-
laft glory of expiring paganifm. Very dif- tary. See Baronius, Annal Ecclef. A. D.
ferent were the fentiments of the council of 409. N° 12. A. D. 410. N° 47, 48.
Carthage, who deputed four bilhops to the

G g 2 thoufand

228

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, thoufand Huns, who arrived on the confines of Italy, attended by

v „ 1 fuch a convoy of provilions, and fuch a numerous train of fheep

and oxen, as might have been fufficient, not only for the march of
an army, but for the fettlement of a colony. But the court and
councils of Honorius ftill remained a fcene of weaknefs and diftrac-
tion, of corruption and anarchy. Inftigated by the prefect Jovius,
the guards rofe in furious mutiny, and demanded the heads of two
generals, and of the two principal eunuchs. The generals, under
a perfidious promife of fafety, were fent on fhip-board, and pri-
vately executed ; while the favour of the eunuchs procured them a
mild and fecure exile at Milan and Conftantinople. Eufebius the
eunuch, and the Barbarian Allobich, fucceeded to the command of
the bed-chamber and of the guards ; and the mutual jealoufy of
thefe fubordinate minifters was the caufe of their mutual deftruction.
By the infolent order of the count of the domeftics, the great cham-
berlain was fhamefully beaten to death with flicks, before the eyes
of the aftonifhed emperor ; and the fubfequent afTaflination of Allo-
bich, in the midfl of a public procelfion, is the only circumftance of
his life, in which Honorius difcovered the fainteft fymptom of
courage or refentment. Yet before they fell, Eufebius and Allo-
bich had contributed their part to the ruin of the empire, by op-
pofmg the conclufion of a treaty which Jovius, from a felfiih, and
perhaps a criminal, motive, had negociated with, Alaric, in a per-
fonal interview under the walls of Rimini. During the abfence of
Jovius, the emperor was perfaaded to affume a lofty tone of inflexible
dignity, fuch as neither his fituation, nor his character, could enable
him to fupport : and a letter, figned with the name of Honorius, was
immediately difpatched to the Prsctorian prefect, granting him a free
permiihon to difpofe of the public money, but fternly refufmg to
proftitute the military honours of Rome to the proud demands of a
Barbarian. This letter was imprudently communicated to Alaric

himfelf ^

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 229

himfelf; and the Goth, who in the whole tranfaclion had behaved CHAP.

' ' , XXXI.

with temper and decency, expreffed, in the moft outrageous language, u -/

his lively fenfe of the infult fo wantonly offered to his perfon, and
to his nation. The conference of Rimini was haftily interrupted ;
and the praefect Jovius, on his return to Ravenna, was compelled to
adopt, and even to encourage, the fafhionable opinions of the court.
By his advice and example, the principal officers of the ftate and
army were obliged to fwear, that, without liftening, in a?iy circum-
ftances, to any conditions of peace, they would ftill perfevere in per-
petual and implacable war againft the enemy of the republic. This
rafh engagement oppofed an infuperable bar to all future negociation.
The minifters of Honorius were heard to declare, that, if they had
only invoked the name of the Deity, they would confult the public
fafety, and truft their fouls to the mercy of Heaven : but they had
fworn, by the facred head of the emperor himfelf; they had touched,
in folemn ceremony, that auguft feat of majefty and wifdom ; and
the violation of their oath would expofe them to the temporal penalties
of facrilege and rebellion Ss.

While the emperor and his court enjoyed, with fullen pride,, the s^nd ^ge
fecurity of the marines and fortifications of Ravenna, they abandoned the Goths,
Rome, almoft without defence, to the refentment of Alaric. Yet ' ' 4°9'
fuch was the moderation which he ftill preferved, or affected, that,
' as he moved with his army along the Flaminian way, he fucceffively
difpatched the bifhops of the towns of Italy to reiterate his offers of
peace, and to conjure the emperor, that he would fave the city and

85 Zofimus, 1. v. p. 367, 368, 369. This TertuIIian complains, that it was the only
cuftom of {wearing by the head, or life, or oath which the Romans of his time affected
fafety, or genius, of the fovereign, was of to reverence. See an elegant Difiertation of
the higheft antiquity, both in Egypt (Ge- the Abbe Maflieu on the Oaths of the An-
»efis xlii. 15.) and Scythia. It was foon cicnts, in the Mem. de l'Academie des In-
transferred, by flattery, to the Caefarsj and fcriptions, torn. i. p. 208,209.

it*

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P.
XXXI.

its inhabitants from hoftile fire, and the fword of the Barbarians '\
Theft impending calamities were however averted, not indeed by the
Wlfdom of Honorius, but by the prudence or humanity of the Gothic
king ; who employed a milder, though not lefs efledual, method
of concjuclt. Inftcad of alfaulting the capital, he fuccefsfully di-
rected his efforts againll the Port of Oftia, one of the boldcft and raoft
ftupendous works of Roman magnificence *7. The accidents to whicli
the precarious fuhiiftence of the city was continually cxpofed in a win-
ter-navigation, and an open road, had fuggeftcd to the genius of the
fu ll Co-far the ufeful delign, which was executed under the reign of
Claudius. The artificial moles, which formed the narrow entrance,
advanced far into the fea, and firmly repelled the fury of the waves,
while the largcft vcifels fecurcly rode at anchor within three deep
and capacious bafons, which received the northern branch of the
Tybcr, about two miles from the ancient colony of Oftia ". The

■* Zofimoa, 1. v. p. 368, 369. I have
foftened the cxpreflions of Alaric, who ex-
patiates, in too florid a manner, on the hif-
tory of Rome.

•7 See Sueton. in Claud, c. 20. Dion Caf-
fius, 1. lx. p. 949. edit. Reimar. and the
lively defuiption of Juvenal, Satir. xii.
7c, Jcc. In the livteenth century, when the
remaigs of ikll AuiMiil.in port were Hill vi-
fible, the antiquarians (ketched the plan (fee
d'Anville, Mein.de I'Ac.tdemie des Infcrip-
tions, tom. xxx. p. 198.). and declared, with
IBthufitfm, that all the mon.irchs of Europe
would he unable to execute fo great a work
(Hergier, Hilt des grands Chemins des Ro-

mmins, tom. ii. p. 356.).

" The Oftui lybtrina (fee Cluvcr. Italia
Antiq. 1. iii. p. 870—879.), in jjje plural
number, the two mouths of the Tyber,
were feparated by the Holy Ifland, .inequi-
lateral triangle, whofe fides were each of
them computed at about two miles. The
tolony of OlUa \va: founded immediately be-

yond the left, or fouthern, and the Pert im-
mediately beyond the right, or northern,
branch of the river ; and the distance be-
tween their remains meafurc-s fomcthing
more than two miles on Cingolani's map. In
the time of Strabo, the land and mud dc-
pofited by the Tybcr, had choked the har-
bour of Ollia ; the progrefs of the fame caufe
his added much to the fize of the Holy Ifland,
and gradually left both Oflia and the Port at
a confiderablc dillance from the Ihorc. The
dry channels (riumi morti), and the large ef-
tuaries (llagnodi Poncnte, dc Lcvante), mark
the changes of the river, and the efforts of
the fe.i. Confult, for the prefent Hate of this
dreary and defolate tracl, the excellent map
of the cccefiaflieal Itate by the mathematicians
of Benedict XIV. ; an actual furvcy of the
Agro Romano, in fix flicets, by Cingolani,
which contains 1 1 3,8 \i)rubbui (about 570,000
acres) ; and the large topographical map of
Amcti, in eight fhects.

Roman

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

Roman Port infcnfibly fwcllcd to the fr/.c of an cpifcopal city ,0, c Ir A v-

XXXI*

where the corn of Africa was depofitcd in fpacioui granaries for the
ufe of the capital. As loon as Alaric was in poffellion of that inw
portant place, he fummoned the city to furrender at difcretion ; and
his demands were enforced by the pofitive declaration, that a re-
fufal, or even a delay, mould be inftantly followed by the deflrue-
tion of the magazines, on which the life of the Roman people de-
pended. The clamours of that people, and the terror of famine,
fubdued the pride of the fenatc ; they lidened, without reluctance,
to the propofal of placing a new emperor on the throne of the un-
worthy Honorius ; and the full rage of the Gothic conqueror be-
llowed the purple on Attalus, prefect of the city. The grateful
monarch immediately acknowledged his protector as martcr-gcncral
of the armies of the Weft ; Adolphusr with the rank of count of the
domeftics, obtained the cuftody of the pcrfon of Attalus; and the two
hoftile nations fcemed to be united in the clofeft bands of fricndlhip
and alliance

The gates of the city were thrown open, and the new emperor Atttlwi
of the Romans, encompalfcd on every fide by the Gothic arms, was peror by tb«
conducted, in tumultuous proceifion, to the palace of Auguftus and S25IL,
Trajan. After he had diftributcd the civil and military dignities
among his favourites and followers, Attalus convened an allcmbly
of the fenate ; before whom, in a formal and florid fpcech, lie af-
fcrtcd his refolution of reftoring the majefty of the republic, and of

" As early as the third, (Lardner's Crcdi- the bifhop, who ranks at one of fix cardinal-

bility of the Gofpel, part ii. vol. iii. p. bifliops of the Roman church. Sec Kfchin ird,

89—92.) or at Icaft the fourth, century (Ca- Dcfcrizione di Roma et dell' Aj;ro Romano,

rol. a Sanclo Paulo, Notit. Ecclef. p. 47.), p. 328.

the Port of Rome was an cpifcopal city, which ,y° For the elevation of Attalus, confult

was demolifhed, as it fhould feem, in the ninth Zofimus, I. vi. p. 377— 380. Sozomen, 1. ix.

century, by pope Gregory IV. during the in- c. 8, 9. Olympiodor ap. Phot. p. iH , 181.

curfions of the Arabs. It is now reduced to an PhiJoflorg. J. xii. c. 3. and Ciodifroy, Dif-

inn, a church, and the houfc, or palace, of fcrtat. p. 470.

6 uniting

"THE DECLINE AND FALL

C vHv5tP' uniting to the empire the provinces of Egypt and the Eaft, which
' « f had once acknowledged the fovereignty of Rome. v Such extrava-
gant promifes infpired every reaibnable citizen with a juft contempt
for the character of an unwarlike ufurper ; whofe elevation was the
deepeft and moft ignominious wound which the republic had yet
fuftained from the infolence of the Barbarians. But the populace,
with their ufual levity, applauded the change of matters. The
public difcontent was favourable to the rival of Honorius ; and the
fe&aries, opprefTed by his perfecuting edicts, expected fome degree
of countenance, or at leaft of toleration, from a prince, who, in his
native country of Ionia, had been educated in the Pagan fuperfti-
tion, and who had fince received the facrament of baptifm from the
hands of an Arian bifhop 9\ The firft days of the reign of Attalus
were fair and profperous. An officer of confidence was fent with an
inconfiderable body of troops to fecure the obedience of Africa; the
greateft part of Italy fubmitted to the terror of the Gothic powers ;
and though the city of Bologna made a vigorous and effectual re-
fiftance, the people of Milan, diflatisfied perhaps with the abfence
of Honorius, accepted, with loud acclamations, the choice of the
Roman fenate. At the head of a formidable army, Alaric conducted
his royal captive almoft to the gates of Ravenna ; and a folemn em-
bafly of the principal minifters, ;of Jovius, the Praetorian prsefecl, of
Valens, matter of the cavalry and infantry, of the quscftor Potamius,
and of Julian, the firft of the notaries, was introduced, with martial
pomp, into the Gothic camp. In the name of their foYereign, they
confented to acknowledge the lawful election of his competitor, and
to divide the provinces of Italy and the Weft between the two em-
perors. Their propofals were rejected with difdain ; and the refufal

91 We may admit the evidence of Sozo- difcontent which he imputes to the Anician
men for the Arian baptifm, and that of Phi- family, are very unfavourable to the ChrilH-
loftorgius for the Pagan education, of Atta- anicy of the new emperor,
lus. The vifible joy of Zofimus, and the

5 wa*

OF THE ROMAN EMI' IRK.

was aggravated by the infulting clemency of Attalus, who conde- CJJ;£ P*

fcended to promife, that, if Honorius would inftantly refign the < v 1

purple, he mould be permitted to pafs the remainder of his life in
the peaceful exile of fome remote ifland 9\ So defperate indeed
did the fituation of the fon of Theodofius appear, to thofe who were
the beft acquainted with his ftrength and refources, that Jovius and
Valens, his minifter and his general, betrayed their truft, infamoufiy .
deferted the finking caufe of their benefactor, and devoted their
treacherous allegiance to the fervice of his more fortunate rival.
Aftonimed by fuch examples of domeftic treafon, Honorius trem-
bled at the approach of every fervant, at the arrival of every meffen-
ger. He dreaded the fecret enemies, who might lurk in his capital,
his palace, his bed-chamber ; and fome mips lay ready in the har-
bour of Ravenna, to tranfport the abdicated monarch to the domi-
nions of his infant nephew, the emperor of the Eaft.

But there is a Providence (fuch at leafb was the opinion of the He is de-

^rilled by

hiftorian Procopius 93) that watches over innocence and folly ; and Alaric,
the pretentions of Honorius to its peculiar care cannot reafonably be A- D- +!°*
difputed. At the moment when his defpair, incapable of any wife
or manly refolution, meditated a mameful flight, a feafonable rein-
forcement of four thoufand veterans unexpectedly landed in the port
of Ravenna. To thefe valiant ftrangers, whofe fidelity had not been
corrupted by the factions of the court, he committed the walls and
gates of the city ; and the flumbers of the emperor were no longer
difturbed by the apprehenfion of imminent and internal danger.
The favourable intelligence which was received from Africa, fuddenly

D* He carried his infolence fo far, 2s to de- the ungenerous propofal (which vvas abfo-

clare, that he mould mutilate Honorius before lutely rejected by Attalus) to the bafenefs, ar, J

he fent him into exile. But this aflertion of perhaps the treachery, of Jovius.
Zofimus is deftroyed by the more impartial 93 Procop. de Dell. Vandal. 1. i. c 2.
teftimony of Oh mpiodorus, who attributes

Vol. III. H h changed

234

THE DECLINK AND FALL

C xxxi P* cnanSe^ tne opinions of men, and the ftate of public affairs. The
L»vnJ troops and officers, whom Attalus had fent into that province, w

defeated and flain ; and the active zeal of Heraclian maintained his
own allegiance, and that of his people. The faithful count of Africa
tranfmitted a large fum of money, which fixed the attachment of the
Imperial guards ; and his vigilance, in preventing the exportation of
• corn and oil, introduced famine, tumult, and difcontent, into the
walls of Rome. The failure of the African expedition, was the fource
of mutual complaint and recrimination in the party of Attalus ; and
the mind of his protector was infenfibly alienated from the intereft
of a prince, who wanted fpirit to command, or docility to obey.
The moft imprudent meafures were adopted, without the knowledge,
or againft the advice, of Alaric ; and the obftinate refufal of the
fenate, to allow, in the embarkation, the mixture even of five hun-
dred Goths, betrayed a fufpicious and diftruftful temper, which, in
their fituation, was neither generous nor prudent. The refentment
of the Gothic king was exafperated by the malicious arts of Jovius,
who had been raifed to the rank of patrician, and who afterwards
excufed his double perfidy, by declaring, without a blufh, that he had
only feemed to abandon the fervice of Honorius, more effectually
to ruin the caufe of the ufurper. In a large plain near Rimini, and
In the prefence of an innumerable multitude of Romans and Barba-
rians, the wretched Attalus was publicly defpoiled of the diadem and
purple ; and thofe enfigns of royalty were fent by Alaric, as the
pledge of peace and friendfhip, to the fon of Theodofius 94. The
officers who returned to their duty, were reimtated in their employ-
ments, and even the merit of a tardy repentance was gracioully al-

54 See the caufe and circumftances of the fall Code, 1. ix. tit. xxxviii. leg. n, 12. which

cf Attalus in Zofimus, 1. vi. p. 380 — 383. were pubiilhed the 12th of February, and

Sozomen, 1. ix. c. 8. Fhiloftorg. 1. xii. c. 3. the 8th of August, A. D. 410, evidently re—

The two afts of indemnity in the Theodofian late to this ufurper.

2 lowed :

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

lowed: but the degraded emperor of the Romans, defirous of life, cJivTp<

XXXI .

and infenfible of difgrace, implored the permiffion of following the 1 * /

Gothic camp, in the train of a haughty and capricious Barbarian 9S.

The degradation of Attalus removed the only real obftacle to the Third /lege

& f \ _ . and fack of

concluhon of the peace : and Alaric advanced within three miles of Rome by the

Cioths

Ravenna, to prefs the irrefolution of the Imperial minifters, whofe a. D.410,
infolence foon returned with the return of fortune. His indigna- Au2uft 2+«
tion was kindled by the report, that a rival chieftain, that Sarus, the
perfonal enemy of Adolphus, and the hereditary foe of the houfe
of Balti, had been received into the palace. At the head of three hundred
followers, that fearlefs Barbarian immediately fallied from the gates
of Ravenna ; furprifed, and cut in pieces, a confiderable body of
Goths ; re-entered the city in triumph ; and was permitted to infult
his adverfary, by the voice of a herald, who publicly declared, that
the guilt of Alaric had for ever excluded him from the friendmip
and alliance of the emperor 96. The crime and folly of the court
of Ravenna was expiated, a third time, by the calamities of Rome.
The king of the Goths, who no longer dirTembled his appetite for
plunder and revenge, appeared in arms under the walls of the ca-
pital ; and the trembling fenate, without any hopes of relief, pre-*
pared, by a defperate refiftance, to delay the ruin of their country.
But they were unable to guard againft the fecret confpiracy of their
, flaves and domeftics ; who, either from birth or intereft, were at-
tached to the caufe of the enemy. At the hour of midnight, the
Salarian gate was filently opened, and the inhabitants were awaken^-
ed by the tremendous found of the Gothic trumpet. Eleven hundred

r5 In hoc, Alaricus, imperatore, fado, place the text of Zofimus is mutilated, and

infedo, refeao, ac defeclo. . . . Mimum rifit, we have loit the remainder of his fixth and laft

et ludum fpeftavit imperii. Orofius, 1. vii. book, which ended with the fack of Rome,

c. 42. p. 582. Credulous and partial as he is, we muft t^ke

96 Zofimus, 1. vi. p. 384. Sozomen, 1. our leave of that hiftorian with fomc regret,
•ix. c. 9. Philoftorgius, 1. xii. c. 5. In this

H h 2 and

236

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. aiK] fixty-threc years after the foundation of Rome, the Imperial city,

v ' which had fubdued and civililed fo confiderable a part of mankind,

was delivered to the licentious fury of the tribes of Germany and
Scvthia 97.

Rrfpea of The proclamation of Alaric, when he forced his entrance into a

the Goths for ...

the Chriftian vanquished city, difcovered, however, fome regard for the laws of

reJigic 1

humanity and religion. He encouraged his troops boldly to feize
the rewards of valour, and to enrich themfelves with the fpoils of a
wealthy and effeminate people : but he exhorted them, at the fame
time, to fpare the lives of the unrefifting citizens, and to refpect the
churches of the apoftles, St. Peter and St. Paul, as holy and invio-
lable fan&uaries. Amidft the horrors of a nocturnal tumult, feveral
of the Chriftian Goths difplayed the fervour of a recent converfion ;
and fome inftances of their uncommon piety and moderation are
related, and perhaps adorned, by the zeal of ecclefiaftical writers 9\
While the Barbarians roamed through the city in queft of prey, the
humble dwelling of an aged virgin, who had devoted her life to the
fervice of the altar, was forced open by one of the powerful Goths.
He immediately demanded, though in civil language, all the gold
and filver in her pofleflion ; and was aftonilhed at the readinefs with
which {he conducted him to a fplendid hoard of mafly plate, of the
richeft materials, and the mod curious workmanfhip. The Barba-

5,7 Adeft Alaricus, trepidam Romnm ob- 58 Orofius (1. vii. c. 39-. p. 573—576.) ap-

fidet, turbat, irrumpit. Orofius, 1. vii. c. 39. plauds the piety of the Chriftian Goths, with-

p. 573. He difpatches this great event in out feeming to perceive that the greateft part

feven words; but he employs whole pages in of them were Arian heretics. Jornandes (c.

celebrating the devotion of the Goths. ] have 30. p. 653.), and Ifidore of Seville (Chroa.

extracted from an improbable ftory of Proco- p. 714. edit. Grot.), who were both attached

pius, the circumftances which had an air of to the Gothic caufe, have repeated and embel-

probability. Procop. de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. liihed thefe edifying tales. According to Ifi-

c. 2. He fuppofes, that the city was fur- dore, Alaric himfelf was heard to fay, that

prifed wh le the fenators fleptin the afternoon ; he waged war with the Romans, and not with

but Jerom, with more authority and more the Apoftles. Such was the ftyle of the fe-

reafon, affirms, that it was in the night, node venth century, two hundred years before, the

Moab capta eft; nofte cecidit murus ejus, fame and merit had been afcribed, not to the

torn- i. p- I2i- ad Principiam. :;poftles, but to Chrift.

riaa

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

237

lian viewed with wonder and delight this valuable acquifition, till he
was interrupted by a ferious admonition, addrefled to him in the
following words : " Thefey laid fhe, are the confecrated veffels be-
" longing to St. Peter; if you prefume to touch them, the facrile-
" gious deed will remain on your confeience. Eor my part, I dare
u not keep what I am unable to defend." The Gothic captain,
ftruck with reverential awe, difpatched a mefTcnger to inform the
king of the treafure which he had dilcovered ; and received a peremp-
tory order from Alaric, that all the confecrated plate and ornaments
fhould be tranfported, without damage or delay, to the church of
the apoftle. From the extremity, perhaps, of the Quirinal hill, to
the diitant quarter of the Vatican, a numerous detachment of Goths,
marching in order of battle through the principal ftreets, pro-
tected, with glittering arms, the long train of their devout compa-
nions, who bore aloft, on their heads, the facred veflels of gold and
iilver ; and the martial fhouts-of the Barbarians were mingled with
the found of religious pfahnody. From all the adjacent houfes, a
crowd of Chriftians haftened to join this edifying procefhon ; and a
multitude of fugitives, without diftinction of age, or rank, or even
of feci:, had the good fortune to efcape to the lecure and hofpitable
fanftuary of the Vatican. The learned work, concerning the City
of God, was profelfedly compofed by St. Auguftin, to juftify the
ways of Providence in the de.aruction of the Roman greatnefs. He
celebrates, with peculiar fatisfaction,. this memorable triumph of
Chrift ; and inlults his adverfaries, by challenging them to produce
fome fimilar example, of a town taken by ftorm, in which the fa-
bulous gods of antiquity had been able to protect either themfelved,
or their deluded votaries

59 See Auguftin, de Civitat. Dei, 1. i. c. i — 6. He particularly appeals to the ex-
amples of Troy, Syracufe, and Tarentum.

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. Jn the fack of Rome, &>me rare and extraordinary examples of
t. — -v- — t Barbarian virtue have been defervedly applauded. But the holy pre-
fire of'Rome. cincts of the Vatican, and the apoftolic churches, could receive a very
fmall proportion of the Roman people : many thoufand warriors,
more efpecially of the Huns, who ferved under the ftandard ' of
Alaric, were ftrangers to the name, or at leaft to the faith, of Chrift ;
and we may fufpet~t, without any breach of charity or candour,
that, in the hour of favage licence, when every paffion was in-
flamed, and every reftraint was removed, the precepts of the gofpel
feldom influenced the behaviour of the Gothic Chriftians. The writers,
the beft difpofed to exaggerate their clemency, have freely con-
feiTed, that a cruel (laughter was made of the Romans 100 ; and that
the ftreets of the city were filled with dead bodies, which remained
without burial during the general confirmation. The defpair of the
citizens was fometimes converted into fury ; and whenever the
Barbarians were provoked by oppofition, they extended the pro-
mifcuous maffacre to the feeble, the innocent, and the helplefs. The
private revenge of forty thoufand flaves was exercifed without pity
or remorfe ; and the ignominious lames, which they had formerly
received, were warned away in the blood of the guilty, or obnoxious,
families. The matrons and virgins of Rome were expofed to inju-
ries more dreadful, in the apprehenfion of chaftity, than death itfelf ;
and the ecclefiaftical hiftorian has fele&ed an example of female virtue,
for the admiration of future ages ,01. A Roman lady, of Angular
» beauty

100 Jerom (torn. i. p. 121. ad Principiam,) Chriftian comfort for the death of thofe,

has applied to the fack of Rome all the llrong whofe bodies (multa corpora) had remained

expreffions of Virgil : (in t ant a Jl rage) unburied. Baronius, fiom

Quis cladem illius no&is, quis funera fando, the different writings of the Fathers, has

Expiicet, &c. thrown fome light on the fack of Rome. An-

Procopius (1. i.e. 2.) pofitively affirms, that nal. Ecclef. A, D. 410. N° 16—44.

great numbers were flain by the Goths. Au- IO' Sozomen, 1. ix. c. 10. Auguftin (de

guftin (de Civ. Dei, Li. c. 12, 13.) offers Civitat. Dei, 1. i. c. 17.) intimates, that fome

virgins

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

beauty and orthodox faith, had excited the impatient defires of a
young Goth, who, according to the fagacious remark of Sozomen,
was attached to the Arian herefy. Exafperated by her obftinate re-
fiftance, he drew his fword, and, with the anger of a lover, flightly
wounded her neck. The bleeding heroine ftill continued to brave
his refentment, and to repel his love, till the ravifher defifted from
his unavailing efforts, refpeclfully conducted her to the fanctuary of
the Vatican, and gave fix pieces of gold to the guards of the church,
on condition that they mould reflore her inviolate to the arms of her
hufband. Such inftances of courage and generofity were not ex-
tremely common. The brutal foldiers fatisfied their fenfual appe-
tites, without confulting either the inclination, or the duties, of their
female captives : and a nice queftion of cafuiftry was ferioufly agi-
tated, Whether thofe tender victims, who had inflexibly refufed
their confent to the violation which they fuftained, had loft, by
their misfortune, the glorious crown of virginity I0\ There were
other lories indeed of a more fubftantial kind, and more general
concern. It cannot be prefumed, that all the Barbarians were at all
times capable of perpetrating fuch amorous outrages ; and the want
of youth, or beauty, or chaftity, protected the greateft part of the
Roman women from the danger of a rape. But avarice is an in-
fatiate and univerfal pafTion ; fince the enjoyment of almoft every

virgins or matrons actually killed themfelves
to efcape violation ; and though he admires
their fpirit, he is obliged, by his theology, to
condemn their raih preemption. Perhaps
the good bifhop of Hippo was too eafy in the
belief, as well as too rigid in tne cenfure, of
this aft of female hercifm. The twenty
maidens (if they ever exilted), who threw
themfelves into the Elbe, when Ma^deburgh
was taken by llorm, have been multiplied to
the number of twelve hundred. See Harte's
Hiftory of Guftavus Adolphus, vol. i. p. 308.
m See Auguftin, de Civitat. Dei, L i.

c. 16. 18. He treats the fubject with remark-
able accuracy ; and after admitting that there
cannot be any crime, where there is no con-
fent, he adds, Sed quia non folum quod ad
dolorem, verum etiam quod ad libidinem,
pertiner, in corpore alienc perpetrari poteit ;
quicquid tale factum fuerit, etfi recentam
conftantiflimo animo pudicitiam nun txcutit,
pudorem tamen incutit, ne credatur factum
cum mentis etiam voluntate, quod fieri for-
taiTe fine carnis aliqua voluptate non potuit.
In c. 18. he makes fome curicus diltinclions
between moral and phyfical virginity.

object

ft+© THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H A P. object that can afford pleafurc to the different taftes and tempers of

mankind, may be procured by the poffeflion of wealth. In the
pillage of Rome, a juft preference was given to gold and jewels,
which contain the greateft value in the fmalleft compafs and weight :
but, after thefe portable riches had been removed by the more diligent
robbers, the palaces of Rome were rudely ftripped of their fplendid
and coftly furniture. The fide-boards of maffy plate, and the varie-
gated wardrobes of filk and purple, were irregularly piled in the
waggons, that always followed the ma'rch of a Gothic army. The
raoft exquifite works of art were roughly handled, or wantonly de-
ftroyed : many a ftatue was melted for the fake of the precious ma-
terials ; and many a vafc, in the divifion of the fpoil, was fhivered
into fragments by the ftroke of a battle-axe. The acquifition of
riches ferved only to ftimulate the avarice of the rapacious Barbarians,
who proceeded, by threats, by blows, and by tortures, to force from
their prifoners the confeffion of hidden treafure ,03. Vifible fplendour
and expence were alleged as the proof of a plentiful fortune : the ap-
pearance of poverty was imputed to a parfimonious difpofition ; and
the obflinacy of fome milers, who endured the moft cruel torments
before they would difcover the fecret object of their affection, was fatal
to many unhappy wretches, who expired under the lam, for refufmg
to reveal their imaginary treafures. The edifices of Rome, though
the damage has been much exaggerated, received fome injury from
the violence of the Goths. At their entrance through the Salarian
gate, they fired the adjacent houfes to guide their march, and to
diftracl the attention of the citizens : the flames, which encountered
no obftacle in the dilbrder of the night, confumed many private

,03 Marcella, a Roman lady, equally re- cipiam. See Auguftin, de Civ. Dei, J. i. c. 10

fpcftable for her rank, her age, and her The modern Sacco di Roma, p. 208. gives

pietv, was thrown on the ground, and cruelly an idea of the various methods of torturing

beaten and whipped, exfam fuftibus flagellif- prifoners for gold,
que. &c. Jerom, torn. i. p. 121. ad Prin-

8 * and

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

241

and public buildings; and the ruins of the palace of Salluft10* remained, c *j [A P-

iu the age of Juftinian, a (lately monument of the Gothic conflagra- v. „ /

tion,0>'. Yet a contemporary hiftorian has obferved, that fire could
fcarcely confume the enormous beams of folid brafs, and that the
ilrength of man was infufficient to fubvert the foundations of ancient
ftructures. Some truth may poffibly be concealed in his devout aMer-
tion, that the wrath of Heaven fupplied the imperfections of hoftile
rage ; and that the proud Forum of Rome, decorated with the ftatues
of fo many gods and heroes, was levelled in the dull by the flroke
of lightning ,06.

Whatever might be the numbers, of equeftrian, or plebeian rank, Captives and

fugitives*

who perifhed in the mafTacre of Rome, it is confidently affirmed,
that only one fenator loft his life by the fword of the enemy ,07.
But it was not eafy to compute the multitudes, who, from an ho-

,0+ The hiftorian Salluft, who ufefully
praclifed the vices which he has fo eloquently
• cenfured, employed the plunder of Numidia
to adorn his palace and gardens on the Qui-
rinal hill. The fpot where the houfe ftood, is
now marked by the church of St. Sufanna,
feparatcd only by a Itreet from the baths of
Diocletian, and not far diftant from the Sala-
rian gate. See Nardini, Roma Antica, p.
192, 193. and the great Plan of Modern
Rome, by Nolli.

105 The expreftions of Procopius are diftinct
and moderate (de Bell. Vandal. L i. c. 2.).
The Chronicle of Marcellinus fpeaks too
ftfongly, partem urbis Romce cremavit ; and
the words of Philoftorgius (<» tfttxibtf h t»«

.KiXiu; xnftzmc, 1. xii. c. 3.) convey a falfe
and exaggerated idea. Barga?us has com-
pofed a particular diflertation (fee torn. iv.
Antiquit. Rom. Grarv.) to prove that the edi-
fices of Rome were not fubverted by the
Goths and Vandals.

106 Orofius, 1. ii. c. 19. p. 143. He fpeaks
as if he difapproved all ftatues ; vel Deum vel
hominem mentiuntur. They confifted of the

Vol. Iff. I

kings of Alba and Rome from ^Eneas, the
Romans, illuftrious either in arms or arts, and
the deified C.xfars. The expreflion which he
ufes of Forum is fomewhat ambiguous, fince
there exifted five principal Fora ; but as they
were all contiguous and adjacent, in the plain
which is furrounded by the Capitoline, the
Quirinal, the Efquiline, and the Palatine
hills, they might fairly be confidered as one.
See the Roma Antiqua of Donatus, p. 162 —
201. and the Roma Antica of Nardini, p.
212 — 273. The former is more ufeful for
the ancient defcriptions, the latter for the
actual topography.

107 Orofius (1. ii. c. 19. p. 142.) compares
the cruelty of the Gauls and the clemency of
the Goths, lbi vix quemquam inventum fe-
natorem, qui vel abfens evafcric ; hie vix
quemquam requiri, qui forte ut latens peri-
erit. But there is an air of rhetoric, and
perhaps of falfehood, in this antithefis ; and
Socrates (1. vii.c. 10.) affirms, perhaps by an
oppofite exaggeration, that many fenators were
put to death with various and exquifite tor-
tures.

noiirable

242

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXXI.

nourable Ration, and a profperous fortune, were fuddenly reduced to
the miferable condition of captives and exiles. As the Barbarians
had more occafion for money, than for flaves, they fixed, at a mo-
derate price, the redemption of their indigent prifoners ; and the
ranfom was often paid by the benevolence of their friends, or the
charity of ftrangers The captives, who were regularly fold, either
in open market, or by private contract, would have legally regained
their native freedom, which it was impofftble for a citizen to lofe, or
to alienate '°9. But as it was foon difcovered, that the vindication
of their liberty would endanger their lives ; and, that the Goths,
lihlefs they were tempted to fell, might be provoked to murder, their
nfclefs prifoners ; the civil jurifprudence had been already qualified
by a wile regulation, that they mould be obliged to ferve the mo-
derate term of five years, till they had difcharged by their labour the
price of their redemption "°. The nations who invaded the Roman
empire, had driven before them, into Italy, whole troops of hungry
and affrighted provincials, lefs apprehenfive of fervitude than of fa-
mine. The calamities of Rome and Italy difperfed the inhabitants
to the moft lonely, the moft fecure, the moft diftant places of refuge.
While the Gothic cavalry fpread terror and defolation along the fea-
coaft of Campania and Tufcany, the little ifland of Igilium, feparated
by a narrow channel from the Argentarian promontory, repulfed, or
eluded, their hoftile attempts ; and at fo fmall a diftance from Rome,
great numbers of citizens were fecurely concealed in the thick woods
of that fequeftered fpot'". The ample patrimonies, which many

fenatorian

108 Multi . . . Chriftiani in captivitatem was publiflied the nth of December, A.I>.
dudti funt. Auguftin, de Civ. Dei, l.i. c. 14; 408. and is more reafonable than properly
and the Chriftians experienced no peculiar belonged to the minifters of Honorius.
hardfliips. ", Eminus Igilii fylvofa cacumina miror ;

109 See Heineccius, Antiquitat. Juris Ro- Quem fraudare nefasjaudis honore fua?
man. torn. i. p. 96. Haec proprios nuper tutata eft infula

1,0 Appendix Cod. Theodof. xvi. in Sir, faltus;
mond. Opera, torn. i. p. 735. This edict. Sive loci ingenio, feu Domini genio,

Gurgit*

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

fenatorian families poiTefTed in Africa, invited them, if they had cv,lr^I
time, and prudence, to efcape from the ruin of their country ; to
embrace the flielter of that hofpitable province. The mod illuflri-
ous of thefe fugitives, was the noble and pious Proba Mt, the w idow
of the pr&'fect Petronius. After the death of her hufband, the mod
powerful fubjec~t of Rome, fhe had remained at the head of the Ani-
cian family, and fucceffively fupplied, from her private fortune,
the expence of the confullhips of her three fons. When the city
was befieged and taken by the Goths, Proba fupported, with Chrifl-
ian refignation, the lofs of immenfe riches ; embarked in a final!
vcfTel, from whence fhe beheld, at fea, the flames of her burning
palace, and fled with her daughter L;cta, and her grand-daughter,
the celebrated virgin, Demetrias, to the coafl of Africa. The be-
nevolent profufion with which the matron diftributcd the fruits, or
the price, of her eftates, contributed to alleviate the misfortunes of
exile and captivity. But even the family of Proba herfelf was not
exempt from the rapacious oppreffion of Count Heraclian, who bafely
fold, in matrimonial proftitution, the nobleft maidens of Rome to
the luft or avarice of the Syrian merchants. The Italian fugitives
were difperfed through the provinces, along the coafl of Egypt and
Afia, as far as Gonflantinoplc and Jerufalem j and the village of

Gurgtte cum modico vidtricibus obftitit 111 As the adventures of Proba and her fa-

armis mily are connected with the life of St. Au-

Tanquam longinquo difTociata mari. guttin, they are diligently illuflrated byTi'-

Ha:c multos laccra fufcepit ab urbe fu- lemonr, Mem. Kcclef. torn. xiii. p. 620 —

gatoi, 635. Some time after their. -irrival in Africa,

H:c fefiis pofito ccrta timorc falus. Demetrias took the veil, and made a vow ot"

Plurima terren© populavciat arcjuora virginity ; an event which wai corfidercd si

bello, of the higheft importance to Rome and to

Contra naturam clafie timendus ec;ues the world. All the Saints wrote congr.ntula-

Ununi, rnira fides, vario difcrimine por- tory letters to her ; that of JefGffl is flill er.-

tam ! taut (torn. i. p. 62 — 73. ad Deir.ttriad. de

Tarn prope Romanis, ram procul e/Te fervanda Virginitat.), ai.d contains a mixture

Getb. ofablurd rea'.oning, fpirKed declamation, and

Rutilius, in Itinerar. 1. i. 32 j. curious fact , fome of which relate to the

The iflar.d is now called Giglio. SceCiuvtr. t*gt -nd lack of Rome.

leal. Antiq. 1. ii. p. 502.

I i 2 Bethlem,

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. Bethlem, the folitary refidcncc cf St. Jerom and his female convert,
x x x r«

«- — i < was crowded with illuftrious beggars of either lex, and every age,

who excited the public compaiiion by the remembrance of their
pall: fortune"3. This awful cataftrophe of Rome filled the aftonilhed-
cmpire with grief and terror. So interefting a contraft of great-
nefs and ruin, difpofed the fond credulity of the people to deplore,
and even to exaggerate, the afflictions of the queen of cities. The
clergy, who applied to recent events the lofty metaphors of Oriental
prophecy, were fometimes tempted to confound the deftruction of
the capital, and the diflblution of the globe.

Sack of There exifts in human nature a ftrong propenfity to depreciate the

Rome by the , . ,A< . . r _

troops of advantages, and to magnily the evils, or the preient times, i et,
Charles V. wnen the firft emotions had fubfided, and a fair eftimate was made
of the real damage, the more learned and judicious contemporaries
were forced to confefs, that infant Rome had formerly received more
etTential injury from the Gauls, than fhe had now fuflained from the
Goths in her declining age The experience of eleven centuries
has enabled pofterity to produce a much more fingular parallel ; and
to affirm with confidence, that the ravages of the Barbarians, whom
Alaric had led from the banks of the Danube, were lefs deftruel:ive,
than the hoftilities exercifed by the troops of Charles the Fifth, a
Catholic prince, who flyled himfelf Emperor of the Romans I15. The

Goths

1,3 See the pathetic complaint of Jerom "5 The reader who wilh.es to inform him-
ftom. v. p. 4C0.), in his preface to the fe- felfof the circumfrances of this famous event,
cond book of his Commentaries on the pro- may perufe an admirable narrative in Dr.
phet Ezekiel. ' Robertfon's Hiftcry of Charles V. vol. ii.

,,+ Orofius, though with fome theological p. 283 ; or confult the Annali d'ltalia of the
partiality, itates this comparifon, 1. ii. c. ig. learned Muratori, torn. xiv. p. 230 — 244.
p. 142. 1. vii. c. 39. p. 575. But, in the oftavo edition. If he is defirous ofi exa-
biftory of the taking of Rome by the Gauls, mining the originals, he may have recourfe
every thing is uncertain, and perhaps fabu- to the eighteenth book of the great, but un-
ions. See Beaufort fur l'lncertitude, &c. de finilhed, hiftory of Guicciardini. But the
l'Hiftoire Romaine, p. 356 ; and Melot, in account which moll truly deferves the name
the Mem. de l'Academie des Infcript. torn, of authentic and original, is a little book,
xv. p. 1 — 21. intitled, II Sacco (ti Roma, compofed, within

lefs

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

245

Goths evacuated the city at the end of fix days, but Pvome remained c H A P.

above nine months in the poffeffion of the Imperialiiis ; and every 1 ^— J

hour was flained by fome atrocious act of cruelty, luft, and rapine.
The authority of Alaric preferved fome order and moderation among

' the ferocious multitude, which acknowledged him for their leader
and king : but the conftable of Bourbon had glorioufly fallen in the
attack of the walls ; and the death of the general removed every re-
ftraint of difcipline, from an army which confifled of three inde-
pendent nations, the Italians, the Spaniards, and the Germans. In
the beginning of the fixteenth century, the manners of Italy ex-
hibited a remarkable fcene of the depravity of mankind. They
united the fanguinary crimes that prevail in an unfettled flate of fo-
ciety, with the polimed vices which fpring from the abufe of art and
luxury : and the loofe adventurers, who had violated every prejudice
of patriotifrrr and fuperftition to afTault the palace of the Roman pon-
tiff, muft deferve to be confidered as the mod profligate of the Ita-
lians^ At the fame sera, the Spaniards were the terror both of the
Old and New World : but their high-fpirited valour was difgraced
by gloomy pride, rapacious avarice, and unrelenting cruelty. In-
defatigable in the purfuit of fame and riches, they had improved, by
repeated practice, the moll exquifite and effectual methods of tor-
turing their prifoners : many of the Caftillans, who pillaged Rome,

. were familiars of the holy inquifition ; and fome volunteers, perhaps,,
were lately returned from the conqueft of Mexico. The Germans
were lefs corrupt than the Italians, lefs cruel than the Spaniards; and
the ruflic, or even favage, afpect of thofe Tramontane warriors, often
difguifed a fimple and merciful difpofition. But they had imbibed,
in the firft fervour of the reformation, the fpirit, as well as the prin-
ciples, of Luther. It was their favourite amufement to infult, or

lefs than a month after the afTault of the city, who appears to have heen an able m.igiiirace,
by the bratber of the hiftorian Guicciardini, and a difpa&onate writer.

deftrov,

246

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C xxx-t^' ^e^ro7» tne confecrated objects of Catholic fuperftition : they in-

«- , * dulged, without pity, or reraorfe, a devout hatred againft the clergy

of every denomination and degree, who form fo confiderable a part
of the inhabitants of modern Rome ; and their fanatic zeal might
afpire to fubvert the throne of Antichrift, to purify, with blood and
fire, the abominations of the fpiritual Babylon "6.
Alariceva- The retreat of the victorious Goths, who evacuated Rome on the

cuatcs Rome,

and ravages fixth day "7, might be the refult of prudence ; but it was not furely
A. D. 410, the effect of fear "\ At the head of an army, encumbered with
ALguft 29. rjc^ an(j weighty fpoils, their intrepid leader advanced along the Ap-
pian way into the fouthern provinces of Italy, deftroying whatever
dared to oppofe his paflage, and contenting himfelf with the plunder
of the unrefifting country. The fate of Capua, the proud and luxu-
rious metropolis of Campania, and which was refpected, even in its
decay, as the eighth city of the empire "9, is buried in oblivion ;
whilft the adjacent town of Nola110 has been illuftrated, on this oc-
ciiion, by the fanctity of Paulinus who was fucceffivcly a conful,
a monk, and a bifhop. At the age of forty, he renounced the en-

"6 The furious fpirit of Luther, the ef-
f -ct of temper and cnthufiafm, has been for-
cibly attacked (Bofluet, Hid. des Variations
des Eglifes Proteftantes, livre i. p. 20 — 36.),
and feebly defended (Seckendorf, Comment,
cie Luiheranifme, efpeciaUy I. i. N° 78.
p. \zo. and 1. iii. N° 122. p. 556.).

117 Murcellinus, in Chron. Orofius (1. vii.
c 29- P- 575-) aficrts, that he left Rome on
t ie tbirJ day ; but this difference is cafily re-
conciled by the fucceffive motions of great
bodies of troops.

"s Socrates (l.vii. c. 10.) pretends, with-
out any colour of truth, orreafon, that Alaric
fled cn the report, that the armies of the
Eaftern empire were in full march to attack
him.

"9 Aufonius de Claris Urbibus, p. 235.
I

edit. Toll. The luxury of Capua had for-
merly furpafied that of Sybaris itfelf. See
Athenius Deipnofophift. 1. xii. p. 528. edit-
Cafaubon.

110 Forty-eight years before the founda-
tion of Rome (about 800 before the Chriflian
acra), the Tufcans built Capua and Nola, at
the difiance of twenty-three miles frcm each
other: but the latter of the two cities never
emerged from a ftate of mediocrity.

'2I Tiikmont (Mem. Ecclef. torn. xiv.
p. 1 — 146.) has compiled, with his ufual di-
ligence, all that relates to the life and writ-
ings of Paulinus, whofe retreat is celebrated
by his own pen, and by the praifes of Sr.
Ambrof-, St. Jerom, St. Auguftin, Sulpi-
cius S?verus, &c. his Chriflian friends and
contemporaries.

joyment

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

247

joyment of wealth and honour, of fociety and literature, to embrace c H,A p«

a life of folitude and pennance ; and the loud applaufe of the clergy » v~ — 1

encouraged him to defpife the reproaches of his worldly friends, who
afcribed this defperate act to fome diforder of the mind or body '*\
An early and paffionate attachment determined him to fix his humble
dwelling in one of the fuburbs of Nola, near the miraculous tomb of
St. Fadix, which the public devotion had already furrounded with
five large and populous churches. The remains of his fortune, and
of his underftanding, were dedicated to the fervice of the glorious
martyr ; whofe praife, on the day of his feftival, Paulinus never
failed to celebrate by a folemn hymn ; and in whofe name he erected
a fixth church, of fuperior elegance and beauty, which was deco-
rated with many curious pictures, from the hiftory of the Old and
New Teftament. Such affiduous zeal fecured the favour of the
faint "3, or at leaft of the people ; and, after fifteen years retirement,
the Roman conful was compelled to accept the bifhopric of Nola, a
few months before the city was inverted by the Goths. During the
fiege, fome religious perfons were fatisfied that they had feen, either
in dreams or vifions, the divine form of their tutelar patron ; yet
it foon appeared by the event, that Faelix wanted power, or inclina- -
tion, to preferve the flock, of which he had formerly been the fhepherd.
Nola was not faved from the general devaluation '** ; and the cap-
tive biihop was protected only by the general opinion of his inno-
cence and poverty. Above four years elapfed from the fuccefsful

121 See the affe£Honate letters of Aufonius **• The humble Paulinus once prefumed

(epifr. xix— xxv. p. 650-698. edit. Toll.), to fay, that he believed St. Fselix did love

to his colleague, his friend, and his difciple him ; at leaft, as a mafter loves his little

Paulinus. The religion of Aufonius is ftill dog.

a problem (fee Mem. de l'Academie des In- 124 See Jornandes, de Reb. Get. c. 30.

fcriptions, torn, xv. p. 123-138.). I be- p. 653. Philoftorgius, 1. xii. c. 3. Au-

lieve that it was fuch in his own time, and, guftin, de Civ. Dei, 1. i. c. 10. Baronius,

confequently, that in his heart he was a Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 4*0. N° 45, 46.
Pagan.

invafion

2|S

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. invafion of Italy by the arms of Alaric, to the voluntary retreat of

I ^ > the Goths under the conduct of his fucceflbr Adolphus ; and, during

^ 'the w^10^e tune> tney feigned without controul over a country, which,

Goths, |n the opinion of the ancients, had united all the various excellencies

A. D. 4.08— r

4' 2. of nature and art. The profperity, indeed, which Italy had attained

in the aufpicious age of the Antonines, had gradually declined with
the decline of the empire. The fruits of a long peace perifhed under
the rude grafp of the Barbarians ; and they themfelves were inca-
pable of tafcing the more elegant refinements of luxury, which had
been prepared for the ufe of the foft and polifhed Italians. Each
foldier, however, claimed an ample portion of the fubftantial plenty,
the corn and cattle, oil and wine, that was daily collected, and con-
fumed, in the Gothic camp ; and the principal warriors infulted the
villas, and gardens, once inhabited by Lucullus and Cicero, along
the beauteous coaft of Campania. Their trembling captives, the
fons and daughters of Roman fenators, prefented, in goblets of gold
and gems, large draughts of Falernian wine, to the haughty victors ;
who ftretched their huge limbs under the made of plane-trees "s,
artificially difpofed to exclude the fcorching rays, and to admit the
genial warmth, of the fun. Thefe delights were enhanced by the
memory of pari hardfhips : the comparifon of their native foil, the
bleak and barren hills of Scythia, and the frozen banks of the Elbe,
and Danube, added new charms to the felicity of the Italian di-

mate •.

Whether

125 The platanus, or plane-tree, was a fa- Pliny quaintly ftyles pars umbra ; an expref-

vourite of the ancients, by whom it was pro- fion which might, with equal reafon, be ap-

pagated, for the fake of (hade, from the Ea(l plied to Alaric.

to Gaul. Pliny, Hift. Natur. xii. 3, 4, 5. 126 The proltxate South to the dertroyer

He mentions feveral of an enormous fize ; yields

one in the Imperial villa at Velitrae, which Her boafted titles, and her golden fields :

Caligula called his neft, as the branches were With grim delight the brood of winter

capable of holding a large table, the proper view

attendants, and the emperor himfelf, whom A brighter day, and /kies of azure hue;

Seen:

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 249
Whether fame, or conqueft, or riches, were the object of Alaric, cx" ^ P'

he purfued that object with an indefatigable ardour, which could
neither be quelled by adverfity, nor fatiated by fuccefs. No fooner Alaric,
had he reached the extreme land of Italy, than he was attracted by
the neighbouring profpect of a fertile and peaceful ifland. Yet even
the pofTefTion of Sicily, he conlidered only as an intermediate ftep to
the important expedition, which he already meditated againft the
continent of Africa. The ftreights of Rhegium and Meflina 127 are
twelve miles in length, and, in the narroweft paflage, about one
mile and a half broad ; and the fabulous monfters of the deep, the
rocks of Scylla, and the whirlpool of Charibdis, could terrify none but
the moft timid and unfkilful mariners. Yet as foon as the firft divifion
of the Goths had embarked, a fudden tempeft arofe, which funk, or
fcattered, many of the tranfports ; their courage was daunted by the
terrors of a new element ; and the whole defign was defeated by the
premature death of Alaric, which fixed, after a fhort illnefs, the
fatal term of his conquefts. The ferocious character of the Barba-
rians was difplayed, in the funeral of a hero, whofe valour, and
fortune, they celebrated with mournful applaufe. By the labour of
a captive multitude, they forcibly diverted the courfe of the Bufen-
tinus, a fmall river that wafhes the walls of Confentia. The royal
fepulchre, adorned with the fplendid fpoils, and trophies, of Rome,
was conftructed in the vacant bed ; the waters were then reftored to
their natural channel ; and the fecret fpot, where the remains of
Alaric had been depofited, was for ever concealed by the inhuman

Scent the new fragrance of the opening rofe, 117 For the perfect defcription of the
And quaff the pendent vintage as it grows. Streights of Meflina, Scylla, Charybdis, &c.
See Gray's Poems, publifhed by Mr. Mafon, fee Cluverius (Ital. Antiq. Lifr. p. 1293.
p. 197. Inftead of compiling tables of chro- and sicilia Antiq- »• P- 60-76.), who
nology and natural hiftorv, why did not Mr. had diligently ftudied the ancients, and fur-
Gray apply the powers of his genius to finilh veyed with a curious eve the acluaI face of
the philofophic poem, of which he has left country-
fuch an exquifne fpecimen ?

Vol. III. K k mafiacre

250

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, maffacre of the prifoners, who had been employed to execute the
Adolphus The perfonal animofities, and hereditary feuds, of the Barbarians,

king of the .

Goths con- were fufpended by the ftrong neceffity of their affairs ; and the brave

cl u cics &

peace with Adolphus, the brother-m-law of the deceafed monarch, was una-
and Marches nimoufly eledted to fucceed to his throne. The character and po-
into^GauU litical fyftem of the new king of the Goths, may be beft underftood
from his own converfation with an illuftrious citizen of Narbonne ;
who afterwards, in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, related it to St. Je-
rom, in the prefence of the hiftorian Orofius. " In the full confi-
dence of valour and victory, I once afpired (faid Adolphus) to
change the face of the univerfe ; to obliterate the name of Rome ;
to erect on its ruins the dominion of the Goths ; and to acquire,
*' like Auguftus, the immortal fame of the founder of a new empire.
" By repeated experiments, I was gradually convinced, that laws
" are effentially neceffary to maintain and regulate a well-conftituted
" ftate ; and that the fierce untraceable humour of the Goths was
u incapable of bearing the falutary yoke of laws, and civil govern-
" ment. From that moment I propofed to myfelf a different object
" of glory and ambition ; and it is now my fincere wifh, that the
" gratitude of future ages mould acknowledge the merit of a ftrah-
•* ger, who employed the fword of the Goths, not to fubvert, but
" to reftore and maintain, the prolperity of the Roman empire
With thefe pacific views, the fuccelfor of Alaric fufpended the
operations of war ; and ferioufly negociated with the Imperial court
a treaty of friendfhip and alliance. It was the intereft of the mini-
Iters of Honorius, who were now releafed from the obligation of
their extravagant oath, to deliver Italy from the intolerable weight

,l8 Jornandes, de Reb. Get. c. 30. p. 654. from Africa to Paleftine, to vifit St. Jerom,
119 Orofius, 1. vii. c. 43. p. 584, 585. and to confult with him on the fubjeft of the
He was fent by St. Auguftin, in the year 415, Pelagian controverfy.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. -251
of the Gothic powers ; and they readily accepted their fervice againft c J* ^ 1,1

A. A. A.i .

the tyrants and Barbarians, who infefted the provinces beyond the » — -v— — »
Alps ,3°. Adolphus, affuming the character of a Roman general,
directed his march from the extremity of Campania to the fouthern
provinces of Gaul. His troops, either by force or agreement, im-
mediately occupied the cities of Narbonne, Thouloufe, and Bour-
•deaux ; and though they were repulfed by Count Boniface from the
walls of Marfeilles, they foon extended their quarters from the Me-
diterranean to the Ocean. The oppreffed provincials might exclaim,
that the miferable remnant, which the enemy had fpared, was cruelly
ravifhed by their pretended allies ; yet fome fpecious colours were
not wanting to palliate, or juftify, the violence of the Goths. The
cities of Gaul, which they attacked, might perhaps be confidered as
in a ftate of rebellion againft the government of Honorius : the ar-
ticles of the treaty, or the fecret inftructions of the court, might
fometimes be alleged in favour of the feeming ufurpations of Adol-
phus ; and the guilt of any irregular, unfuccefsful, act of hoftility,
might always be imputed, with an appearance of truth, to the un-
governable fpirit cf a Barbarian hoft, impatient of peace or difcipline.
The luxury of Italy had been lefs effectual to foften the temper, than
to relax the courage, of the Goths ; and they had imbibed the vices,
without imitating the arts and inftitutions, of civilifed fociety ,3'.

The profeflions of Adolphus were probably fincere, and his at- His marriage
tachment to the caufe of the republic was fecured by the afcendant dia,h Plaa"
which a Roman princefs had acquired over the heart and underftand- A' D* +'4'

130 Jornandes fuppofes, without much pro- 'u The retreat of the -Goths from Italy,

bability, that Adolphus vifited and plun- and their firil transitions in Gaul, are dark

dered Rome a fecond time (more locultarum and doubtful. I have derived much afliftance

erafit). Yet he agrees with Orofius in fup- from Mafcou (Hilt, of the ancient Germans,

pofing, that a treaty of peace was concluded 1. viii. c. 29. 35, 36, 37.), who has illuf-

between the Gothic prince and Honorius. See trated, and connecled, the broken chronicles

Orof. 1. vii. c. 43. p. 584, $85. Jornandes, and fragments of the times,
de Rcb. Geticisj c. 31. p. 654, 655.

K k 2 ing

252 THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. ing 0f the Barbarian king. Placidia '3l, the daughter of the great
-v— ^ Theodofius, and of Galla, his fecond wife, had received a royal
education in the palace of Conftantinople ; but the eventful ftory of
her life is connected with the revolutions which agitated the Weftem
empire under the reign of her brother Honorius. When Rome was
firft inverted by the arms of Alaric, Placidia, who was then about
twenty years of age, refided in the city ; and her ready confent to
the death of her coufin Serena, has a cruel and ungrateful appearance,
which, according to the circumftances of the action, may be aggra-
vated, or excufed, by the confideration of her tender age ,33. The
victorious Barbarians detained, either as a hoftage or a captive ,3+, the
iifter of Honorius ; but, while fhe was expofed to the difgrace of
following round Italy the motions of a Gothic camp, fhe experienced,
however, a decent and refpedtful treatment. The authority of Jor-
nandes, who praifes the beauty of Placidia, may perhaps be counter-
balanced by the filence, the expreffive filence, of her flatterers : yet
the fplendour of her birth, the bloom of youth, the elegance of man-
ners, and the dexterous infinuation which Ihe condefcended to em-
ploy, made a deep impreffion on the mind of Adolphus ; and the
Gothic king afpired to call himfelf the brother of the emperor. The
minifters of Honorius rejected with difdain the propofal of an al-
liance, fo injurious to every fentiment of Roman pride ; and repeat-
edly urged the reftitution of Placidia, as an indifpenfable condition
of the treaty of peace. But the daughter of Theodofius fubmitted,
without reluctance, to the defires of the conqueror, a young and
valiant prince, who yielded to Alaric in loftinefs of ftature, but who
excelled in the more attractive qualities of grace and beauty. The

131 See an account of Placidia in Ducange, 134 Zofim. 1. vi. p. 383. Orofius (1. vii.

Fam. Byzant. p. 72. ; and Tillemont, Hill. c. 4.0. p. 576.), and the Chronicles of Mar-

des Empereurs, torn. v. p. 260. 386, &c. cellinus and Idatius, feem to fuppofe, that

torn. vi. p. 240. the Goths did not carry away Placidia till

133 Zofim. 1. v. p. 350. after the laft fiege of Rome.

1 marriage

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

marriage of Adolphus and Placidia,3J was confummated before the c>t^IP*
Goths retired from Italy ; and the folemn, perhaps the anniverfary, « — -v — -»
day of their nuptials was afterwards celebrated in the houfe of Inge-
nuus, one of the moft illuftrious citizens of Narbonne in Gaul. The
bride, attired and adorned like a Roman emprefs, was placed on a
throne of ftate ; and the king of the Goths, who aflumed, on this oc-
cafion, the Roman habit, contented himfelf with a lefs honourable feat
by her fide. The nuptial gift, which, according to the cuftom of his
nation ,3S, was offered to Placidia, confifted of the rare and magnifi-
cent fpoils of her country. Fifty beautiful youths, in filken robes,
carried a bafon in each hand ; and one of thefe bafons was filled with
pieces of gold, the other with precious ftones of an ineftimable va-
lue. Attains, fo long the fport of fortune, and of the Goths, was
appointed to lead the chorus of the Hymenaeal fong ; and the de-
graded emperor might afpire to the praife of a fkilful mufician.
The Barbarians enjoyed the infolence of their triumph ; and
the provincials rejoiced in this alliance, which tempered, by the
mild influence of love and reafon, the fierce fpirit of their Gothic
lord ,37.

,3S See the pictures of Adolphus and Pla-
cidia, and the account of their marriage in
Jornandes, de Reb. Geticis, c. 31. p. 654,
655. With regard to the place where the
nuptials were ftipulated, or confummated,
or celebrated, the MSS. of Jornandes vary
, between two neighbouring cities, Forli and
Imola (Forum Livii and Forum Cornelii).
It is fair and eafy to reconcile the Gothic
hiftorian with Olympiodorus (f-e Mafcou,
1. viii. c. 36.) : but Tillemont grows peevifh,
and fwears, that it is not worth while to try
to conciliate Jornandes with any good au-
thors.

,36 The Vifigoths (the fubjefts of Adol-
phus) reftrained, by fubfequent laws, the
prodigality of conjugal love. It was illegal
for a hulband to make any gift or fettlement

for the benefit of his wife during the firft
year of their marriage ; and his liberality
could not at any time exceed the tenth part
of his property. The Lombards were fome-
what more indulgent : they allowed the
morgingcap immediately after the wedding-
night ; and this famous gift, the reward of
virginity, might equal the fourth part of the
hufband's fubftance. Some cautious maidens,
indeed, were wife enough to ftipulate before-
hand a prefent, which they were too fure cf
not deferving. See Monteiquieu, Efprit des
Loix, 1. xix. c. 25. Muratori, delle Anti-
chiti Italiane, torn. i. Diflertazion xx..
P- 243-

137 We owe the curious detail of this nup-
tial fealt to the hiftorian Olympiodorus, ap.
Photium, p. 185. 188.

The.-

254

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XXXI.
< . 1

The Gothic
tTeafure3.

The hundred bafons of gold and gems, prefented to Placidia at her
nuptial feaft, formed an inconfiderable portion of the Gothic trea-
sures ; of which fome extraordinary fpecimens may be feletted from
the hiftory of the fucceflbrs of Adolphus. Many curious and coftly
ornaments of pure gold, enriched with jewels, were found in their
palace of Narbonne, when it was pillaged, in the fixth century, by
the Franks : fixty cups, or chalices ; fifteen patens •, or plates, for the
ufe of the communion ; twenty boxes, or cafes, to hold the books
of the gofpels ; this confecrated wealth 138 was diftributed by the fon
of Clovis among the churches of his dominions, and his pious li-
berality feems to upbraid fome former facrilege of the Goths. They
porTefTed, with more fecurity of confcience, the famous miffbrlum^
or great drfh for the fervice of the table, of mafly gold, of the weight
of five hundred pounds, and of far fuperior value, from the precious
ftones, the exquifite workmanfhip, and the tradition, that it had
been prefented by iEtius the patrician, to Torifmond king of the
Goths. One of the fucceffors of Torifmond purchafed the aid
of the French monarch by the promife of this magnificent gift-
When he was feated on the throne of Spain, he delivered it with re-
luctance to the ambaffadors of Dagobert ; defpoiled them on the road ;
ftipulated, after a long negociation, the inadequate ranfom of two
hundred thoufand pieces of gold ; and preferred the mijforium, as the
pride of the Gothic treafury 139 . When that treafury, after the con-
quer! of Spain, was plundered by the Arabs, they admired, and they

138 See in the great collection of the hifto-
rians of France by Dom. Bouquet, torn. ii.
Greg. Turonenf. I. iii. c. 10. p. 191. Gefta
Regum Francorum, c. 23. p. 557. The
anonymous writer, with an ignorance worthy
-of his times, fuppofes that thefe inftruments
of Chriftian worftiip had belonged to the
•temple of Solomon. If he has any meaning,
it muft be, that tiiey were found in the fack
sof Rome.

139 Confult the following original teftimo-
nies in the Hiftorians of France, torn. ii.
Fredegarii Scholaftici Chron. c. 73. p. 441.
Fredegar. Fragment, iii. p. 463. Gefta
Regis Dagobert. c. 29. p. 5S7. The ac.
ceflion of Sifenand to the throne of Spain
happened A. D. 631. The 200,000 pieces
of gold were appropriated by Dagobert to
the foundation of the church of St. Denys.

liave

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. *55

have celebrated, another object ftill more remarkable; a table of cJ^yTp*
eonfiderable fize, of one fingle piece of folid emerald encircled u — . — — /
with three rows of fine pearls, fupported by three hundred and fixty-
frve feet of gems and maffy gold, and eftimated at the price of five
hundred thoufand pieces of gold ,4\ Some portion of the Gothic
treafures might be the gift of friendfhip, or the tribute of obedience :
but the far greater part had been the fruits of war and rapine, the
fpoils of the empire, and perhaps of Rome.

After the deliverance of Italy from the oppreffion of the Goths, Laws for the

• • n • r relief of Italy-

fome fecret counfellor was permitted, amidft the factions of the and Rome,,
palace, to heal the wounds of that afflicted country ,4\ By a wife ' +ia
and humane regulation, the eight provinces which had been the
mod deeply injured, Campania, Tufcany, Picenum, Samnium, Apu-
lia, Calabria, Bruttium, and Lucania, obtained an indulgence of five
years : the ordinary tribute was reduced to one fifth, and even that
fifth was deflined to reftore, and fupport the ufeful inftitution of the
public pofts. By another law, the lands, which had been left
without inhabitants or cultivation, were granted, with fome dimi-
nution of taxes, to the neighbours who fhould occupy, or the Gran-
gers who fhould folicit them ; and the new poffeflbrs were fecured
againft the future claims of the fugitive proprietors. About the fame
time, a general amnefty was publifhed in the name of Honorius, to
ibolifh the guilt and memory of all the involuntary offences, which

140 The prefldent Goquet (Origine des Arabes, torn. f. p. 83. It was called the
Loix, &c. torn. ii. p. 239.) is of opinion, Table of Solomon, according to the cuftom
that the ftupendous pieces of emerild, the of the Orientals, who afcribe to that prince
ftatues and columns, which antiquity has every ancient work of knowledge or magni-
placed in Egypt, at Gades, at Conftantino- ficence.

pie, were in reality artificial compofitions of 1+1 His three laws are inferted in the

coloured glafs. The famous emerald dim, Theodofian Code, 1. xi. tit. xxviii. leg. 7.

which is Ihewn at Genoa, is fuppofed to L. xiii. tit. xi. leg. 12. L. xv. tit. xiv.

countenance the fufpicion. leg. 14. The exprefiions of the laft are very

141 Elmacin. Hift. Saracenica, 1. i. p. 85. remarkable; fince they contain not only a
Roderic. Tolet. Hift. Arab. c. 9. Cardonne, pardon, but an apology.

Hift. de l'Afrique et de l'Efpagne fous let

4 had'

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A p. been committed by his unhappy fubjec"ls, during the term of

X X XI. . B

< > the public diforder and calamity. A decent and refpecliul attention

was paid to the reftoration of the capital ; the citizens were encou-
raged to rebuild the edifices which had been deftroyed or damaged by
hoftile fire ; and extraordinary fupplies of corn were imported from
the coaft of Africa. The crowds that fo lately fled before the fword
of the Barbarians, were foon recalled by the hopes of plenty and
' pleafure ; and Albinus, prefect of Rome, informed the court, with
ibme anxiety and furprife ; that, in a fingle day, he had taken an
account of the arrival of fourteen thoufand ftrangers ,43. In lefs than
feven years, the veftiges of the Gothic invafion were almoft obli-
terated ; and the city appeared to refume its former fplendour and
tranquillity. The venerable matron replaced her crown of laurel,
which had been ruffled by the florins of war ; and was ftill amufed,
in the laft moment of her decay, with the prophecies of revenge, of
victory, and of eternal dominion
Revolt and This apparent tranquillity was foon difturbed by the approach of
Heraclian, an hoftile armament from the country which afforded the daily fub-
count of fiftence of the Roman people. Heraclian, count of Africa, who,

Africa, r r 7 > >

A. D. 413. under the moft difficult and diftrefsful circumftances, had fupported,
with active loyalty, the caufe of Honorius, was tempted, in the
year of his confulfhip, to affume the character of a rebel, and the
title of emperor. The ports of Africa were immediately filled with
the naval forces, at the head of which he prepared to invade Italy:

143 Olympiodorus ap. Phot. p. 188. Phi- difficulties; but Scaliger has deduced from

loftorgius (1. xii. c. 5.) obferves, that when aftronomical chara&ers, that he left Rome

Honorius made his triumphal entry, he en- the 24th of September, and embarked at

couraged the Romans, with his hand and Porti the 9th ofOftober, A. D. 416. See

voice **' ~A"tt-'\ to rebuild their city ; Tiilemont, Hift. des Empereurs, torn. v. p.

and the Chronicle of Profper commends He- 820. In this poetical Itinerary, Rutilius

radian, qui in Roman* urbis reparationem (•• i- U5» &c0 addrefles Rome in a high,

ftrenuum exhibuerat minifterium. ftrain of congratulation :

,+4 The date of the voyage of Claudius Erigc crinales lauros, feniumque facrati

Rutilius Numatianus, is clogged with Tome Verticis in viridesRomarecinge comas, &c.

and

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

257

and his fleet, when it caft anchor at the mouth of the Tyber, indeed c p*

furpafled the fleets of Xerxes and Alexander, if nil the vefTels, in- i— — , 1

eluding the royal galley, and the fmalleft boat, did actually amount
to the incredible number of three thoufand tv.'O hundred ,4S. Yet
with fuch an armament, which might have fub verted, or reftcred,
the greateft empires of the earthy the African ufurper made a very-
faint and feeble impreflion on the provinces of his rival. As he
marched from the port, along the road which leads to the gates of
Rome, he was encountered, terrified, and routed, by one of the
Imperial captains ; and the lord of this mighty hoft, deferting his
fortune and his friends, ignominioufly fled with a fingle fhip ,46.
When Heraclian landed in the harbour of Carthage, he found that
the whole province, difdaining fuch an unworthy ruler, had returned
to their allegiance. The rebel was beheaded in the ancient temple of
Memory ; his confulfhip was abolifhed 147 ; and the remains of his
private fortune, not exceeding the moderate fum of four thoufand
pounds of gold, were granted to the brave Conftantius, who had
already defended the throne, which he afterwards fhared with his
feeble fovereign. Honorius viewed, with fupine indifference, the
calamities of Rome and Italy 148 ; but the rebellious attempts of At-
talus and Heraclian, againft his perfonal fafety, awakened, for a
moment, the torpid inftinc"t of his nature. He was probably igno-

*« Orofius compofed his hiftory in Africa, 147 See Cod. Theod. 1. xv. tiv. xiv. leg.

only two years after the event ; yet his au- 13. The legal ac"b performed in his name,

thority feems to be overbalanced by the im- even the manumiffion of flaves, were declared

probability of the fact. The Chronicle of invalid, till they had been formally repeated.

Marcellinus gives Heraclian 700 fiiips, and 148 I have difdained to mention a very

3000 men ; the latter of thefe numbers is ri- foolilh, and probably a fa! fe report (Procop.

diculoufly corrupt; but the former would de Bell. Vandal. L i. c. 2.), that Honorius

pleafe me very much. was alarmed by the left of Rome, till he un-

146 The Chronicle of Idatius affirms, with- derftood that it was not a favourite chicken

out the leaft appearance of truth, that he of that name, but only the capital of the

advanced as far as Otriculum, in Umbria, world, which had been loft. Yet even this

where he was overthrown in a great battle, ftory is fome evidence of the public opinion,
with the lofs of fifty thoufand men.

Vol. III. L 1 rant

258 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CXXXI P rant °^ ^e cau^es an(^ events which preferved him from thefe im-
v. pending dangers ; and as Italy was no longer invaded by any foreign

or domeftic enemies, he peaceably exifted in the palace of Ravenna,
while the tyrants beyond the Alps were repeatedly vanquifhed in the
name, and by the lieutenants, of the fon of Theodoiius ,+9. In the
courfe of a bufy and interefting narrative, I might poffibly forget to
mention the death of fuch a prince: and I mall therefore take the
precaution of obferving, in this place, that he furvived the laft fiege
of Rome about thirteen years.
Revolutions The usurpation of Conftantine, who received the purple from the
Spain" an legions of Britain, had been fuccefsful; and feejned to be fecure.
a.^d. 409— pjjs t«tje wag acknowledged, from the wall of Antoninus to the co-
lumns of Hercules; and, in the midft of the public diforder, he
fhared the dominion, and the plunder, of Gaul and Spain, with the
tribes of Barbarians, whofe deftrudive progrefs was no longer
checked by the Rhine or Pyrenees. Stained with the blood of the
kinfmen of Honorius, he extorted, fr om the court of Ravenna, with
which he fecretly correfponded, the ratification of his rebellious
claims. Conftantine engaged himfelf, by a folemn promife, to deli-
ver Italy from the Goths ; advanced as far as the banks of the Po ;
and after alarming, rather than aflifting, his pufillanimous ally,
haftily returned to the palace of Aries, to celebrate, with intemperate
luxury, his vain and oftentatious triumph. But this tranfient pro-
fperity was foon interrupted and deftroyed by the revolt of count
Gerontius,. the braveft of his generals ; who, during the abfence of
his fon Conftans, a prince already invefted with the Imperial purple,

1+9 The materials for the lives of all thefe 370, 371.. Olympiodorus, apud Phot. p.

tyrants are taken from fix contemporary hif- 180, 1 i> i . 184, 185. Sozomen, 1. ix. c. iz>

torians, two Latins and four Greeks: Oro- 13, 14, 15.; and Philcftorgius, 1. xii. c. 5,

fius, I. vii. c. 42. p. 581, 582, 583.; Re- 6., with Godefroy's DifTertations, p. 477—

natus Profuturuj Frigeridus, apud Gregor. 481.; befides the four Chronicles of Profper

Turon. 1. ii. c. 9. in the hiilorians of France, Tyro, Profper of Ac^uitain, Idatius, and

torn. ii. p. 165, 166. Zofimus, 1. vi. p. Marcellinui.

2 tad.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

259

had been left to command in the provinces of Spain. For fome rea- c J&A p-

fon, of which we are ignorant, Gerontius, inftead of affuming the ' « '

diadem, placed it on the head of his friend Alaximus, who fixed his
refidence at Tarragona, while the active count preffed forwards,
through the Pyrenees, to furprife the two emperors, Conftantine
and Conftans, before they could prepare for their defence. The fon
was made prifoner at Vienna, and immediately put to death ; and
the unfortunate youth had fcarcely leifure to deplore the elevation of
his family ; which had tempted, or compelled him, facrilegioufly to
defert the peaceful obfcurity of the monaftic life. The father main-
tained a fiege within the walls of Aries ; but thofe walls muft have
yielded to the affailants, had not the city been unexpectedly relieved
by the approach of an Italian army. The name of Honorius, the
proclamation of a lawful emperor, aftonifhed the contending parties
of the rebels. Gerontius, abandoned by his own troops, efcaped to
the coniines of Spain ; and refcued his name from oblivion, by the
Roman courage which appeared to animate the laft moments of his
life. In the middle of the night, a great body of his perfidious fol-
diers furrounded, and attacked his houfe, which he had flrongly
barricaded. His wife, a valiant friend of the nation of the Alani,
and fome faithful flaves, were {till attached to his perfon ; and he
ufed, with fo much {kill and refolution, a large magazine of darts
and arrows, that above three hundred of the affailants loft their lives
in the attempt. His flaves, when all the miffile weapons were fpent,
fled at the dawn of day; and Gerontius, if he had not been reftrained
by conjugal tendernefs, might have imitated their example ; till the
foldiers, provoked by fuch obftinate refiftance, applied fire on all
fides to the houfe. In this fatal extremity, he complied with the re-
queft of his Barbarian friend, and cut off his head. The wife of
Gerontius, who conjured him not to abandon her to a life of mifery
and difgrace, eagerly prefented her neck to his fword j and the

L 1 2 tragic

s6o THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, tragic fcene was terminated by the death of the count himfelf, who,

X XXI.

\— — v — -» after three ineffectual ftrokes, drew a fhort dagger and fheathed it in
his heart *5°. The unprotected Maximus, whom he had inverted
with the purple, was indebted for his life to the contempt that was
entertained of his power and abilities. The caprice of the Barba-
rians, who ravaged Spain, once more feated this Imperial phantom
on the throne : but they foon refigned him to the juftice of Hono-
rius ; and the tyrant Maximus, after he had been fhewn to the peo-
ple of Ravenna and Rome, was publicly executed.

Charafter The general, Conftantius was his name, who raifed by his ap—

and vi&ories r .

ofthegeneral proach the fiege of Aries, and difnpated the troops of Gerontius, was
on antius. ^QYn a Roman . anj ^a[s remarkable diftinction is ftrongly expreffive
of the decay of military fpirit among the fubjects of the empire.
The ftrength and majefty which were confpicuous in the perfon of
that general ,5', marked him, in the popular opinion, as a candidate
worthy of the throne, which he afterwards afcended. In the familiar
intercourfe of private life, his manners were cheerful and engaging :
nor would he fometimes difdain, in the licence of convivial mirth,
to vie with the pantomimes themfelves, in the exercifes of their ridi-
culous profeflion. But when the trumpet fummoned him to arms ;
when he mounted his horfe, and, bending down (for fuch was his
fingular practice) almoft upon the neck, fiercely rolled his large ani-
mated eyes round the field, Conftantius then ftruck terror into his
foes, and infpired his foldiers with the affurance of victory. He had
received from the court of Ravenna the important commiffion of

150 The praifes which Sozomen has be-
ftowed on this aft cf defpair, appear ftrange
and fcandalcus in the mouth of an ecdefia-
ftical hiftorian. He obferves (p. 379.), that
the wife of Gerontius was a Chrijlian; and
that her death was worthy of her religion,
and of immortal fame.

151 EiJo? ai-ict rufous:, is the expreffion of
Olympiodorus, which he feems to have bor-
rowed from JEolus, a tragedy cf Euripides,
of which fome fragments only are now ex-
tant (EuripiJ. Barnes, torn. ii. p. 443.
ver. 38.). This allu!:on may prove, that the
ancient tragic poets were Hill familiar to the
Greeks of the fifth century.

extirpating

♦

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

261

extirpating rebellion in the provinces of the Weft ; and the pretended
emperor Conftantine, after enjoying a fhort and anxious refpitc,
was again belieged in his capital by the arms of a more formidable
enemy. Yet this interval allowed time for a fuccefsful negociation
with the Franks and Alemanni ; and his ambafiador, Edobic, foon
returned, at the head of an army, to difturb the operations of the
fiege of Aries. The Roman general, inftead of expecting the attack
in his lines, boldly, and perhaps wifely, refolved to pafs the Rhone,
and to meet the Barbarians. His meafures were conducted with fo
much {kill and fecrecy, that, while they engaged the infantry of Con-
ftantius in the front, they were fuddenly attacked, furrounded, and
deftroyed by the cavalry of his lieutenant Ulphilas, who had filently
gained an advantageous port in their rear. The remains of the army of
Edobic were preferved by flight or fubmhTion, and their leader efcaped
from the field of battle to the houfe of a faithlefs friend ; who too
clearly underftood, that the head of his obnoxious gueft would be an
acceptable and lucrative prefent for the Imperial general. On this
occafion, Confeantius behaved with the magnanimity of a genuine
Roman. Subduing, or fupprefling, every fentiment of jealoufy, he
publicly acknowledged the merit and fervices of Ulphilas : but he
turned with horror from the affafTin of Edobic ; and fternly intimated
his commands, that the camp mould no longer be polluted by the
prefence of an ungrateful wretch, who had violated the laws of
friendfhip and hofpitality. The ufurper, who beheld, from the walls
of Aries, the ruin of his laft hopes, was tempted to place fome con-
fidence in fo generous a conqueror. He required a folemn promife
for his fecurity ; and after receiving, by the impofition of hands,
the facred character of a Chriftian Prefbyter, he ventured to open
the gates of the city. But he foon experienced, that the principles
of honour and integrity, which might regulate the ordinary conduct
of Conftantius-, were fuperfeded by the loofe doctrines of political

morality..

CHAP.

XXXI.
< a *

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c HA P. morality. The Roman general, indeed, refufed to fully his laurels

.XXXI* J

k „ * with the blood of Conitantine ; but the abdicated emperor, and, his

Death of the ■ ,.T

ufurperCon- ion Julian, were lent under a itrong guard into Italy; and before
A. D^'ii, tney reached the palace of Ravenna, they met the minifters of

November a8.

Fall of the At a time when it was univerfally confefled, that almort every

ufurpers, Jo- . . .

vinus, Seba- man in the empire was lupenor in perlonal merit to the princes
Aoalas, whom the accident of their birth had feated on the throne, a rapid
4i6D'4II~~ ^cce^1011 °f ufurpers, regardlefs of the fate of their predeceflbrs,
ftill continued to arife. This mifchief was peculiarly felt in the pro-
vinces of Spain and Gaul, where the principles of order and obe-
dience had been extinguifhcd by war and rebellion. Before Con-
ftantine refigned the purple, and in the fourth month of the fiege of
Aries, intelligence was received in the Imperial camp, that Jovinus
had affirmed the diadem at Mcntz,. in the Upper Germany, at the
mitigation of Goar, king of the Alani, and of Guntiarius, king of
the Burgundians ; and that the candidate, on whom they had be-
llowed the empire, advanced, with a formidable hoft of Barbarians,
from the banks of the Rhine to thofe of the Rhone. Every circum-
llance is dark and extraordinary in the fhort hiftory of the reign of
Jovinus. It was natural to expect, that a brave and fkilful general,
at the head of a victorious army, would have afTerted, in a field of
battle, the juftice of the caufe of Honorius. The hafty retreat of
Conftantius might be juftified by weighty reafons; but he refigned,
without a ftruggle, the pofTefTion of Gaul: and Dardanus, the Prae-
torian prefect, is recorded as the only magiftrate, who refufed to
yield obedience to the ufurper ,s\. When the Goths, two years after

'S1 Sidonius Apollinaris (1. v. epift. 9. refpeftable charaflcr in the world, and even

p. 139. and Not. Sirmond. p. 58.), after in the church ; held a devout correfpondence

ftigmatifing the inconjlancy of Conftantine, with St. AugufHn and St. Jerom ; and was

the facility of Jovinus, the perfidy of Gercn- complimented by the latter (torn. iii. p. 66.)

tius, continues to obferve, that all the vices with the epithets of Chriltianorum Nobilifli-

of thefe tyrants were united in the perfon of me, and Ncbilium Chrilliani£ime.

Dardanus. Yet the pnefeft fupported a

the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 263

the ficge of Rome, eftablifhed their quarters in Gaul, it was natural CHAP,
to fuppoie that their inclinations could be divided only between the *.
emperor Honorius, with whom they had formed a recent alliance,
and the degraded Attalus, whom they referved in their camp for the
occafional purpofe of acling the part of a mufician or a monarch.
Yet in a moment of difguft (for which it is not eafy to affign a caule,
or a date), Adolphus connected himfelf with the ufurper of Gaul ;
and impofed on Attalus the ignominious tafk of negociating the treaty,
which ratified his own difgrace. We are again furpriled to read,
that, inftead of confidering the Gothic alliance as the firmeft fupport
of his throne, Jovinus upbraided, in dark and ambiguous language,
the officious importunity of Attalus ; that, fcorning the advice of
his great ally, he inverted with the purple his brother Sebaftian ; and
that he moil imprudently accepted the fervice of Sarus, when that
gallant chief, the foldier of Honorius, was provoked to defert the
court of a prince, who knew not how to. reward, or punilh. Adol-
phus, educated among a race of warriors, who eftcemed the duty of
revenge as the moft precious and facred portion of their inheritance,
advanced with a body often thoufand Goths to encounter the here-
ditary enemy of the houfe of Balti. He attacked Sarus at an un-
guarded moment, when he was accompanied only by eighteen or
twenty of his valiant followers. United by friendship, animated by
1 defpair, but at length opprefied by- multitudes, this band of heroes
deferved the efteem, without exciting the companion, of their ene-
mies ; and the lion was no fooner taken in the toils ,53, than he was
inftaritly difpatched. The death of Sarus diffblved the loofe alliance
which Adolphus ftill maintained with the ufurpers of Gaul. He

153 The expreflion may be underftood al- niis contortis, was much praclifed by the
moft literally ; Olympiodorus fays, ■. >.», c-xx.- Huns (Ammian. xxxi. z.). U fut piis vif
*o»c t&ypvut. Zcutxoi (orcraxo;) may fignify avec des filets, is the tranflation of Tille-
a fack, or a loofe garment ; and this method mont, Hift. des Empereurs, torn. v. p. 6c8,
cf entangling and catching aa enemy, laci-

again

264 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, again liftened to the dictates of love and prudence : and foon fatisfied

XXXL & , _ r

i „ 1 the brother of Placidia, by the anurance that he would immedi-
ately tranfmit, to the palace of Ravenna, the heads of the two
tyrants, Jovinus and Sebaftian. The king of the Goths executed
his promife without difficulty or delay : the helplefs brothers, unsup-
ported by any perfonal merit, were abandoned by their Barbarian
auxiliaries ; and the fhort oppofition of Valentia was expiated by the
ruin of one of the nobleft cities of GauL The emperor, chofen by the
Roman fenate, who had been promoted, degraded, inmlted, reftored,
again degraded, and again infuked, was finally abandoned tohisfate: but
when the Gothic king withdrew his protection, he was reftrained, by
pity or contempt, from offering any violence to the perfon of Attalus.
The unfortunate Attalus, who was left without fubjects or allies,
embarked in one of the ports of Spain, in fearch of fome fecure and
folitary retreat: but he was intercepted at fea, conducted to the pre-
fence of Honorius, led in triumph through the flreets of Rome or
Ravenna, and publicly expofed to the gazing multitude, on the
fecond flep of the throne of his invincible conqueror. The fame
meafure of punifhment, with which, in the days of his profperity,
he was accufed of menacing his rival, was inflicted on Attalus him-
felf : he was condemned, after the amputation of two fingers, to a
perpetual exile in the ifle of Lipari, where he was fupplied with the
decent necefTaries of life. The remainder of the reign of Honorius
was undifturbed by rebellion; and it may be obferved, that, in the
fpace of five years, feven ufurpers had yielded to the fortune of a
prince, who was himfelf incapable either of counfel or of action,
invafion of The fituation of Spain, feparated, on all fides, from the enemies
^uev" Van- of Rome, by the fea, by the mountains, and by intermediate pro-
.dah, .ilani, vjnces^ }ia(j fecured the long tranquillity of that remote and fequef-
Oa»ber>^ tered country ; and we may obferve, as a fure fymptom of domeftic
happinefs, that, in a period of four hundred years, Spain furnifhed
3 very

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

265

XXXI.

very few materials to the hiftory of the Roman empire. The foot- c .vI? ^f p<
fteps of the Barbarians, who, in the reign of Gallienus, had pene-
trated beyond the Pyrenees, were foon obliterated by the return of
peace; and in the fourth century of the Chriftian sera, the cities of
Emerita or Merida, of Corduba, Seville, Bracara, and Tarragona,
were numbered with the mod illuftrious of the Roman world.
The various plenty of the animal, the vegetable, and the mineral
kingdoms, was improved and manufactured by the {kill of an in-
duftrious people ; and the peculiar advantages of naval ftores con-
tributed to fupport an extenfive and profitable trade 's\ The arts and
fciences flourifhed under the protection of the emperors ; and if the
character of the Spaniards was enfeebled by peace and fervitude, the
hoftile approach of the Germans, who had fpread terror and defo-
lation from the Rhine to the Pyrenees, feemed to rekindle fome
fparks -of military ardour. As long as the defence of the mountains
was enrrufted to the hardy and faithful militia of the country, they
fuccefsfully repelled the frequent attempts of the Barbarians. But no
fooner had the national troops been compelled to refign their poft to
the Honorian bands, in the fervice of Conftantine ; than the gates of
Spain were treacheroufly betrayed to the public enemy, about ten
months before the fack of Rome by the Goths ,5S. The confeiouf-
nefs of guilt, and the third of rapine, prompted the mercenary
guards of the Pyrenees to defert their ftation ; to invite the arms of
the Suevi, the Vandals, and the Alani ; and to fwell the torrent

154 Without recurring to the more ancient in Nonnius, Hifpania Illullratn, and in Hu?:,

writers, I mall quote three refpeclable tefti- Hift. du Commerce des Anciens, c. 40.

monies which belong to the fourth and (e- p. 228 — 234.

venth centuries ; the Expofitio totius Mundi 1,5 The date is accurately fixed in the

{p. 16. in the third volume of Hudfon's Mi- Fafti, and the Chronicle of Idatiuj. Oro-

nor Geographers), Aufonius (de Claris Urbi- lius (1. vii. c. 40. p. 57?.) imputes the !ofs"

bus, p. 242. edit. Toll.), and Ifidore of Seville of Spain to the treachery of the Honoriars;

(Prajfat. ad Chron. ap. Grotium, Hift. Goth, while Sczomen (1. ix. c. 12,) accufej only

p. 707.). Many particulars relative to the their negligence,
fertility and trade of Spain, may be found

Vol. III. M m which

266 THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H £ . p* which was poured with irrefiftible violence from the frontiers of

XXXI.

— 4 ' Gaul to the fea of Africa. The misfortunes of Spain may be de-

fcribed in the language of its moft eloquent hifloria.n, who has con-
cifel}7" expreffed the paffionate, and perhaps exaggerated, declamations
of contemporary writers ,56. " The irruption of thefe nations was
*' followed by the moft dreadful calamities : as the Barbarians exer-
" cifed their indifcriminate cruelty on the fortunes of the Romans
" and the Spaniards ; and ravaged with equal fury the cities and
" the open country. The progrefs of famine reduced the miferable
" inhabitants to feed on the fielh of their fellow-creatures ; and even
" the wild hearts, who multiplied, without cohtroul, in the defert,.
" were exafperated, by the taite of blood, and the impatience of
" hunger, boldly to attack and devour their human prey. Peftilence
" foon appeared, the infeparable companion of famine ; a large
" proportion of the people was fwept away ; and the groans of the
" dying excited only the envy of their furviving friends. At
" length the Barbarians, fatiated with carnage and rapine, and af-
" flicted by the contagious evils which they themfelves had intro-
" duced, fixed their permanent feats in the depopulated country.
" The ancient Gallicia, whofe limits included the kingdom of Old
" Caftille, was divided between the Suevi and the Vandals ; the
" Alani were fcattered over the provinces of Carthagena and Lufi-
" tania, from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean ; and the
" fruitful territory of Bcetica was allotted to the Silingi, another
" branch of the Vandalic nation. After regulating this partition,.
M the conquerors contracted with their new fubjec~ts fome reciprocal
M engagements of protection and obedience : the lands were again
" cultivated ; and the towns and villages were again occupied by a
" captive people. The greateft part of the Spaniards was even dif-

\ 156 Idatius wifhes to apply the Prophecies cumftances of the event to the terras of the

of Daniel to thefe national calamities ; and prediction,
is therefore obliged to accommodate the cir-

3 " pofed

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

267

u pofed to prefer this new condition of poverty and barbarifm, to C^X^LP'

" the fevere oppreffions of the Roman government : yet there were <- »

" many who ftill aflerted their native freedom ; and who refufed,
" more efpecially in the mountains of Gallicia, to fubmit to the Bar-
" barian yoke ,S7."

The important prefent of the heads of Jovinus and Sebaitian, had Adolphus,

king of the

approved the friendihip of Adolphus, and reftored Gaul to the obe- Goths,
dience of his brother Honorius. Peace was incompatible with the in"oSp"in,
fituation and temper of the king of the Goths. He readily accepted A- D'
the propofal of turning his victorious arms againft the Barbarians of
Spain : the troops of Conftantius intercepted his communication with
the fea-ports of Gaul, and gently preffed his march towards the Py-
renees158: he palled the mountains, and furprifed, in the name of
the emperor, the city of Barcelona. The fondnefs of Adolphus for
his Roman bride, was not abated by time or pofleffion ; and the birth
of a fon, furnamed, from his illuftrious grandfire, Theodofius, ap-
peared to fix him for ever in the intereft of the republic. The lofs
of that infant, whofe remains were depofited in a filver coffin in one
of the churches near Barcelona, afflicted his parents ; but the grief
of the Gothic king was fufpended by the labours of the field ; and
the courfe of his victories was foon interrupted by domeftic treafon.
He had imprudently received into his fervice one of the followers of
Sarus ; a Barbarian of a daring fpirit, but of a diminutive ftature ;
whofe fecret defire of revenging the death of his beloved patron, was
continually irritated by the farcafms of his infolent matter. Adolphus His death,
was alTaflinated in the palace of Barcelona ; the laws of the fuccefTion Auguftf '5'

157 Mariana de Rebus Hifpanicis, L v. pauperem libertatem quam inter Romanos
c. 1. torn. i. p. 148. Hag. Comit. 1733. tributarinn foHcitudinem fuflinere.
He had read, in Orofius (!. vii. c. 41. p. ,s8 This mixture of force and perfuafion
579.), that the Barbarians had turned their may be fairly inferred from comparing Oro-
fwords into plough-mares ; and that many fius and Jornandes, the Roman and the Go-
of the Provincials preferred, inter Barbaros thic hiftorian.

M m 2 were

268

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, were violated by a tumultuous faction ; and a ftrancer to the rovaf
\__ .- race, Singeric, the brother of Sarus htmfelf, was icated on the Go-
thic throne. The iirft ad: of his reign was the inhuman murder of
the fix children of Adolphus, the iifue of a former marriage, whom
he tore, without pity, from the feeble arms of a venerable bifhop '°.
The unfortunate Placidia, inftead of the refpe&ful companion, which
fhe might have excited in the raoft favage breafts, was treated with
cruel and wanton infuk. The daughter of the emperor Theodofius,.
confounded among a croud of vulgar captives, was compelled to
march on foot above twelve miles, before the horfe of a Barbarian,,
the alTafhn of an hufband, whom Placidia loved and lamented "\
The Goths But Placidia foon obtained the pleafure of revenge ; and the view
reftorTspTin, of her ignominious fufferings might roufe an indignant people againfb
^•gD* +I5~~ the tyrant, who was affaffinated on the feventh day of his ufurpation.

After the death of Singeric, the free choice of the nation beftowed
the Gothic fceptre on W allia ; whofe warlike and ambitious temper
appeared, in the beginning of his reign, extremely hoftile to the
republic. He marched, in arms, from Barcelona to the fhores of
the x^tlantic Ocean, which the ancients revered and dreaded as the
boundary of the world. But when he reached the Southern pro-
montory of Spain '**, and, from the rock now covered by the
foitrefs of Gibraltar, contemplated the neighbouring and fertile coaft
of Africa, Wallia relumed the defigns of conqueft, which had been

*-9 According; to the fyftem of Jornandes at Conftantinople with illuminations and

(c. 33. p. 659.), the true hereditary right to Circenfian games. (SeeChron. Alexandria)

the Gothic fceptre was vefied in the Jmah ; it may feem doubtful, whether the Greeks

but thofe princes, who were the vaflals of were aaUated, on this occafion, by their ha-

the Huns, commanded the tribes of the trej) of the Barbarians, or of the Latins.

Oftrogoths in feme diftant parts of Germany Tartejfiacis avus hujus Vallia terris

or Scythia. Vandalicas turmas, et jundti Martis Alanos

The murder is related by Olymprodo- Stravit> et occiduam texere cadavera Calf en.

rus j but the number of the children is taken ^ A 1Jinar> b p Anth

from an epitaph of fufpefted authority. fi ^ Sirmond>

141 The death of Adolphus was celebrated

8 interrupted

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

interrupted by the death of Alaric. The winds and waves again c
difappointed the enterprife of the Goths ; and the minds of a fuper- v-
ftitious people were deeply affected by the repeated difafters of ftorms
and fhipwrecks. In this difpofition, the fuccefibr of Adolphus no
longer refufed to liften to a Roman ambaffador, whofe propofals
were enforced by the real, or fuppofed, approach of a numerous army,
under the conduct of the brave Conftantius. A folemn treaty was
ftipulated and obferved ; Placidia was honourably reftored to her
brother; fix hundred thoufand meafures of wheat were delivered to
the hungry Goths 163 ; and Wallia engaged to draw his fword in the
fervice of the empire. A bloody war was inftantly excited among
the Barbarians of Spain ; and the contending princes are faid to have
addreffed their letters, their ambafladors, and their hoftages, to the
throne of the Weftern emperor, exhorting him to remain a tranquil
fpectator of their conteft ; the events of which muft be favourable to
the Romans, by the mutual (laughter of their common enemies
The Spanifh war was obftinately fupported, during three campaigns,
with defperate valour, and various fuccefs; and the martial atchieve-
ments of Wallia difFufed through the empire the fuperior renown
of the Gothic hero. He exterminated the Silingi, who had irre-
trievably ruined the elegant plenty of the province of Bcetica. He
flew, in battle, the king of the Alani ; and the remains of thofe
Scythian wanderers, who efcaped from the field, inftead of chufmg
a new leader, humbly fought a refuge under the ftandard of the
Vandals, with whom they were ever afterwards confounded. The
Vandals themfelves, and the Suevi, yielded to the efforts of the

143 This fupply was very acceptable : the ed letters. Tu cum omnibus pacem habe,

Goths were infulted by the Vandals of Spain omniumque obfides accipe ; nos nobis confli-

with the epithet of Truli, becaufe, in their gimus, nobis perimus, tibi vincimus ; im-

extreme diltrefs, they had given a piece of mortalis vero qua: ft us erat Pveipublica: tux,

gold for a trula, or about half a pound of fi utrique pereamus. The idea is juil ; but

flour. Olympiod. apud Phot. p. 189. I cannot perfuade myfelf that it was enter-

i4+ Orof:u$ inferts a copy of thefe pretend- tained, crcxprcfled, by the Barbarians.

invincible

27o THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap, invincible Goths. The promifcuous multitude of Barbarians, whofe

XXXL r . . . .

i- — ^ retreat had been intercepted, were driven into the mountains of

Gallicia ; where they ftill continued, in a narrow compafs, and on
a barren foil, to exercife their domeftic and implacable hoftilities.
In the pride of victory, Wallia was faithful to his engagements : he
reftored his Spanifli conquefts to the" obedience of Honorius; and
the tyranny of the Imperial officers foon reduced an oppreffed people
to regret the time of their Barbarian fervitude. While the event of
the war was ftill doubtful, the firft advantages obtained by the arms
of Wallia, had encouraged the court of Ravenna to decree the ho-
nours of a triumph to their feeble fovereign. He entered Rome like
the ancient conquerors of nations ; and if the monuments of fervile
corruption had not long fince met with the fate which they deferved,
we fhould probably find that a croud of poets, and orators, of ma-
giftrates, and bifhops, applauded the fortune, the wifdom, and the
invincible courage, of the emperor Honorius ,6s.
Their efta- Such a triumph might have been juftly claimed by the ally of

bliihment in . _ „

Aquitain, Rome, if Wallia, before he repaired the Pyrenees, had extirpated
the feeds of the Spanifli war. His victorious Goths, forty-three
years after they had palled the Danube, were efhiblifhed, according
to the faith of treaties, in the pofTeflion of the fecond Aquitain; a
maritime province between the Garonne and the Loire, under the
civil and ecclefiaftical jurifdidtion of Bourdeaux. That metropolis,
advantageoirily lituated for the trade of the ocean, was built in a
regular and elegant form ; and its numerous inhabitants were diflin-
guilhed among the Gauls by their wealth, their learning, and the
politenefs of their manners. The adjacent province, which has been

165 Romam triumplrns ingreditur, is the from Olympioclcrus (apud Phot. p. 188.),

formal expreffion of Profper's Chronicle. Orbfius (1 vii. c. 43. p. 584 — 587.), Jor-

The facts which relate to the death of Adol- nandes (de Rebus Geticis, c. 31, 32.)? and

jphus, and the exploits of Wallia, are related the Chronicles of Idatius andlfidore,

fond]y

A. D. 419.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

fondly compared to the garden of Eden, is bleffcd with a fruitful c ^ a P'

foil, and a temperate climate ; the face of the country difplayed the ' v "

arts and the rewards of induftry ; and the Goths, after their mar-
tial toils, luxurioufly exhaufted the rich vineyards of Aquitain ,6\
The Gothic limits were enlarged, by the additional gift of fome
neighbouring diocefes ; and the fuccelfors of Alaric fixed their
royal refidence at Thouloufe, which included five populous quar-
ters, or cities, within the fpacious circuit of its walls. About the
fame time, in the laft years of the reign of Honorius, the
Goths, the Burgundians, and the Franks, obtained a per- TheBurgun-
manent feat and dominion in the provinces of Gaul. The liberal ians'
grant of the ufurper Jovinus to his Eurgundian allies, was con-
firmed by the lawful emperor : the lands of the «Firft, or Upper,
Germany, were ceded to thofe formidable Barbarians ; and they
gradually occupied, either by conqueft or treaty, the two provinces
which ftill retain, with the titles of Duchy and of County, the na-
tional appellation of Burgundy 161 . The Franks, the valiant and
faithful allies of the Roman republic, were foon tempted to imitate
the invaders,, whom they had fo bravely refitted. Treves, the'
capital of Gaul, was pillaged by their lawlefs bands j and the
humble colony, which they fo long maintained in the diftrict
of Toxandria, in Brabant, infenfibly multiplied along the banks
of the Meufe and Scheld, till their independent power filled the
whole extent of the Second, or Lower Germany. Thefe facls-
may be fufficiently juflified by hiftoric evidence : but the foundation
of the French monarchy by Pharamond, the conquefts, the laws,

lf6 Aufonius(de Claris Urbi bus, p. 257 — Burgundians, who treated their fubjects of

262.) celebrates Bourdeaux with the partial Gaui as their Chriftian brethren. Mafcou

affeftion of a native. See in Salvian (de has illuftrated the origin of their kingdom in

Gubern. Dei, p. 228. Paris, 1608.) a florid the four firfl annotations at the end of his

defcription of the provinces of Aquitain and laborious Hittory of the Ancient Germans,

Novcmpopulania. vol. ii. p. 555—572. of the Englifli tranfla-

167 Orofius (1. vii. c. 32. p. 550.) com- tion.
mends the mildnefs and modefty of thefe

and

THE "DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. an<§ even tfiie exiftence, of that hero, have been juftly arraigned by

B • • • lf"8

* — — v~ — » the impartial feverity of modern criticifm ' ' .

State of the The ruin of the opulent provinces of Gaul may be dated from the
Gaol, * eflablifhmcnt of thefe Barbarians, whofe alliance was dangerous and
A^D. 4Z0, oppreflive, and who were capricioufly impelled, by intereft or paf-
lion, to violate the public peace. A heavy and partial ranfom was
impofed on the furviving provincials, who had efcaped the calamities
of war ; the faireft and mod fertile lands were afligned to the rapa-
cious ftrangers, for the ufe of their families, their flaves, and their
cattle ; and the trembling natives relinquished with a figh the inhe-
ritance of their fathers. Yet thefe domeftic misfortunes, which are
feldom the lot of a vanquiflied people, had been felt and inflicted by
the Romans themfelves, not only in the infolence of foreign con-
qucft, but in the madnefs of civil difcord. The Triumvirs profcribed
eighteen of the moft flourifhing colonies of Italy ; and diftributed
their lands and houfes to the veterans who revenged the death of
Cxfar, and opprefled the liberty of their country. Two poets, of
unequal fame, have deplored, in fimilar circumftances, the lofs of
their patrimony : but the legionaries of Auguftus appear to have
furpaflcd, in violence and injufticc, the Barbarians, who invaded
Gaul, under the reign of Honorius. It was not without the utmoft
difficulty that Virgil efcaped from the fword of the Centurion, who
had ufurped his farm in the neighbourhood of Mantua1*9 ; but Pau-

* linus

,6S Sec Mafcou, 1. viii. c. 43,44, 45. Ex- '* O Lycida, vivi pervenimus : advena
cept in a fliort and fufpicioui line of the noftri

Chronicle of Profper (in torn. i. p. 658.), the (Quod nunquam veriti fumus) ut pofleflbr
name of Pharamond is never mentioned be- agelli

fore the feventh century. The author of the Diceret : Hxc mea funt ; vctcres migrate
Geita Irancorum (in torn. ii. p. 543.) fug- coloni.
ge!b, probably enough, that the choice of Nunc vi&i trifles, &c.
Pharamond, or at leait of a king, was re- Seethe whole of the ninth eclogue, with the
• commended to the Franks by his father M.ir- ufeful Commentary of Servius. Fifteen
comir, who was an exile in Tufcany. miles of the Marrtuan territory were afligned

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

linus of Bourdeaux received a fum of money from his Gothic pur- CHAP,
chafer, which he accepted with pleafure and furprife ; and, though ^ ■ ~*
it was much inferior to the real value of his eftate, this act of
rapine was difguifed by fome colours of moderation and equity ,7\
The odious name of conquerors, was foftened into the mild and friend-
ly appellation of the guejls of the Romans; and the Barbarians of
Gaul, more efpecially the Goths, repeatedly declared, that they were
bound to the people by the ties of hofpitality, and to the emperor
by the duty of allegiance and military fervice. The title of Hono-
rius and his fuccefTors, their laws, and their civil magiftrates, were
ftill refpe&ed in the provinces of Gaul, of which they had refigned
the pofTeflion to the Barbarian allies; and the kings, who exercifed
a fupreme and independent authority over their native fubjects, am-
bitioufly folicited the more honourable rank of mafter-generals of
the Imperial armies *7\ Such was the involuntary reverence which
the Roman name ftill impreffed on the minds of thofe warriors,
who had borne away in triumph the fpoils of the Capitol.

Whilft Italy was ravaged by the Goths, and a fucceflion of feeble Revolt of
tyrants oppreiTed the provinces beyond the Alps, the Britifh ifland JjJJJkJT^
feparated itfelf from the body of the Roman empire. The regular A' D* *°9'
forces which guarded that remote province, had been gradually
withdrawn ; and Britain was abandoned, without defence, to the
Saxon pirates, and the favages of Ireland and Caledonia. The Bri-
tons, reduced to this extremity, no longer relied on the tardy and

to the veterans, with a refervation, in favour charifticon of Paulinus, 575. apud Mafcou,

of the inhabitants, of three miles round the *» viii. c. 42.

city. Even in this favour they were cheated l?' This important truth is eftablilhrd by

by Alfenus Varus, a famous lawyer, and one the accurac.v of Tillemont (Hilt, des Emp.

of the commilfioners, who meafured eight f^^K^'t^ ^^Sg™**

, , , c , r Abbe Dubos (Hift. de PEtablifleoieat de U

hundred paces of waterand morafs. Mo»archie Francoifc dans les Gaules, torn. i.

170 See the remarkable paflage of the Eu- p. 259.).

Vol. IIL N n doubtful

274

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, doubtful aid of a declining monarchy. They afTembled in arms,

w ■/ repelled the invaders, and rejoiced in the important difcovery of their

own ftrength Afflicted by fimilar calamities, and actuated by
the fame fpirit, the Armorican provinces (a name which compre-
hended the maritime countries of Gaul between the Seine and the
Loire ,73) refolved to imitate the example of the neighbouring ifland.
They expelled the Roman magiftrates, who acted under the autho-
rity of the ufurper Conftantine ; and a free government was efta-
bliflied among a people who had fo long been fubjecl; to the arbitrary
will of a matter. The independence of Britain and Armorica was
foon confirmed by Honorius himfelf, the lawful emperor of the
Weft ; and the letters, by which he committed to the new ftates the
care of their own fafety, might be interpreted as an abfolute and
perpetual abdication of the exercife and rights of fovereignty. This
interpretation was, in fome meafure, juftified by the event. After
the ufurpers of Gaul had fuccefTively fallen, the maritime provinces
were reftored to the empire. Yet their obedience was imperfect: and
precarious : the vain, inconftant, rebellious difpofition of the people,
was incompatible either with freedom or fervitude ,7+ ; and Armo-

171 Zofimus (I. vi. p. 376. 383.) relates Torva, ferox, ventofa, procax, incauta,

in a few words the revolt of Britain and Ar- rebcllis ;

morica. Our antiquarians, even the great Inconftans, difparque fibi novitatis amore ;

Cambdcn himfelf, have been betrayed into Prodiga verborum, fed non et prodiga

many grofs errors, by their imperfedt know- fafti.

ledge of the hiftory of the continent. Erricus, Monach. in Vit. St. Germani, L v.

173 The limits of Armorica are denned by apud Valef. Notit. Galliarum, p. 43. Va-
two national geographers, Meflieurs deValois ief1Us alleges feveral teftimonies to confirm,
and d'Anville, in their Notitias of Ancient this drafter; to which I mall add the evi-
Gaul. The word had been ufed in a more Jence of the prefbyter Conftantine (A. D.
extenfive, and was afterwards contraaed to a 488.), who, in the life of St. Germain, calls
much narrower, fignification. the Armorican rebels, mobilem et indifcipli-

174 Gens inter geminos notifiima clauditur natum populum. See the Hiftorians of
amnes, France, torn. i. p. 643.

Armoricana prius veteri cognomine difta.

rica,

449-

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 275

rica, though it could not long maintain the form of a republic "J, cx1^^, p"

was agitated by frequent and deftructive revolts. Britain was irrc- l ~>

coverably loft ,7<s. But as the emperors wifely acquiefced in the
independence of a remote province, the feparation was not em-
bittered by the reproach of tyranny or rebellion; and the claims
of allegiance and protection were fucceeded by the mutual and vo-
luntary offices of national friendfhip 117 .

This revolution diflblved the artificial fabric of civil and military State of B;i-

tam*

government ; and the independent country, during a period of forty A. D. 409—
years, till the defcent of the Saxons, was ruled by the authority of
the clergy, the nobles, and the municipal towns 'n. I. Zofimus, who
alone has preferved the memory of this fingular tranfaction, very
accurately obferves, that the letters of Honorius were addrefled to
the cities of Britain ,79. Under the protection of the Romans,
ninety-two confiderable towns had arifen in the feveral parts of
that great province ; and-, among thefe, thirty-three cities were diftin-
guilhed above the reft by their fuperior privileges and importance ,8°.

175 I thought it neceflary to enter my pro- produced, that the independent Britons rai fed
teft againft this part of the fyftem of the Abbe iz.oco men for the fervice of the emperor
Dubos, which Montefquieu has fo vigoroufly Anthemius, in Gaul.

oppofed. See Efprit des Loix, 1. xxx. c. 178 I owe it to myfelf, and to hiftoric

24. truth, to declare, that fome circumftances in

176 BiiTatiixt pit TuPupziot cf,ct<rutTa.?tictt axtn this paragraph are founded only on con-
cur, are the words of Procopius (de Bell. Van- jecture and analogy. The flubbornnefs
dal. I. i. c. 2. p. 181. Louvre edition) in a of our language has fometimes forced me to
very important paflage, which has been too deviate from" the conditional into the indica-
much neglected. Even Bede (Hift. Gent, five mood.

Anglican. L. i. c 12. p. 50. edit. Smith) ac- 1J,J tz? 0 B^rxy.ix mXitc. Zofimus, I.

knowledges that the Romans finally left Bri- vi. p. 383.

tain in the reign of Honorius. Yet our mo- ",° Two cities of Britain were municipia,

dern billorians and antiquaries extend the nine colonies, ten Laiii jure donatt, twelve

term of their dominion ; and there are fome Jiipendiari^ of eminent note. This detail is

who allow only the interval of a few months taken from Richard of Cirencefter, de Situ

between their departure and the arrival of the Britannia, p. 36.; and though it may not

Saxons. feem probable, that he wrote from the MSS.

177 Bede has not forgot the occafional aid of a Roman general, ht flicws a genuine
of the legions againft the Scots and Picls ; knowledge of antiquity, very extraordinary
and more authentic proof will hereafter be for a monk of the fourteenth century.

N n 2 Each

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Each of thefe cities, as in all the other provinces of the empire,
formed a legal corporation, for the purpofe of regulating their do-
meftic policy ; and the powers of municipal government were diftri-
buted among annual magiftrates, a feledt fenate, and the aiTembly
of the people, according to the original model of the Roman confti-
tution ,8\ The management of a common revenue, the exercife of
civil and criminal jurifdidHon, and the habits of public counfel and
command, were inherent to thefe petty republics ; and when they
afferted their independence, the youth of the city, and of the ad-
jacent diflricts, would naturally range themfelves under the ftandard
of the magistrate. But the defire of obtaining the advantages, and
of efcaping the burthens, of political fociety, is a perpetual and in-
exhauftible fource of difcord ; nor can it reafonably be prefumed,
that the reftoration of Britifh freedom was exempt from tumult and
faction. The pre-eminence of birth and fortune muft have been
frequently violated by bold and popular citizens ; and the haughty
nobles, who complained that they were become the lubjects of their
own fervants ,8\ would fometimes regret the reign of an arbitrary
monarch. II. The jurifdiction of each city over the adjacent coun-
try, was fupported by the patrimonial influence of the principal
fenators ; and the fmaller towns, the villages, and the proprietors
of land, confulted their own fafety by adhering to the fhelter of thefe
rifing republics. The fphere of their attraction was proportioned
to the respective degrees of their wealth and populoufnefs ; but the
hereditary lords of ample poiTeflions, who were not opprefled by
the neighbourhood of any powerful city, afpired to the rank of in-
dependent princes, and boldly exercifed the rights of peace and
war. The gardens and villas, which exhibited fome faint imitation

'8I See Maffei Verona Illuftrata, part i

ivv, p. 83—106.
1

,SI Leges reftituit, libertatemque reducit,
Et fervos famulis non fink efle fuis.

Itinerar. Rutil. 1. i. 215.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

of Italian elegance, would foon be converted into ftfong caftles,
the refuge, in time of danger, of the adjacent country 133 : the
produce of the land was applied to purchafe arms and horfes ; to
maintain a military force of flaves, of peafants, and of licentious
followers; and the chieftain might aflame, within his own domain,
the powers -of a civil magiftrate. Several of thefe Britim chiefs
might be the genuine pofterity of ancient kings ; and many more
would be tempted to adopt this honourable genealogy, and to vin-
dicate their hereditary claims, which had been fufpended by the
ufurpation of the Cazfars lS+. Their fituation, and their hopes, would
difpole them to affect the drefs, the language, and the cuftoms of
their anceftors. If the princes of Britain relapfed into barbarifm,
while the cities ftudioufly preferved the laws and manners of Rome,
the whole ifland muft have been gradually divided by the diftin&ion
of two national parties ; again broken into a thoufand fubdivifions
of war and faction, by the various provocations of intereft and re-
fentment. The public ftrength, inftead of being united againft a
foreign enemy, was confumed in obfcure and interline quarrels ; and
the perfonal merit which had placed a fuccefsful leader at the head of
his equals, might enable him to fubdue the freedom of fome neigh-
bouring cities ; and to claim a rank among the tyrants lSs, who infefted
Britain after the diffolution of the Roman government. III. The

183 An infcriptioa (apud Sirmond, Not. ad
Sidon. Apollinar. p. 59.) defcribes a caftle,
cum muris et portis, tuitioni omnium, erected
by Dardanus on his own eftate, near Sifteron,
in the fecond Narbonnefe, and nnmed by him
Theopolis.

,8+ The eftablifliment of their power would
have been eafy indeed, if we could adopt the
impracticable fcheme of a lively and learned
antiquarian ; who fuppofes, that the Britim
monarchs of the feveral tribes continued to
reign, though with fubordinate jurifdiclion,

from the time of Claudius to that of Hono-
rius. See Whitaker's Hiftory of Manchelter,.
vol. i. p. 247 — 257.

1 8 5 ' *

AAA mjct vrto WPawOtq am CtVTH EjUfFf.

Procopius, de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. c. 2. p.
181. Britannia fertilisprovincia tyrannorum,
was the expreffion of Jerom, in the year 415
(torn. ii. p. 255. ad Ctefiphont.). By the
pilgrims, who reforted every year to the Holy
Land, the monk of Bethlem received the
earlieft and molt accurate intelligence.

Britifh

278

THE DECLINE AND FALL

^Cvvvr P* Britifh church might be compofed of thirty or forty bifhops ,56, with

V- — „ ' an adequate proportion of the inferior clergy ; and the want of

riches (for they feem to have been poor would compel them to
deferve the public efteem, by a decent and exemplary behaviour.
The intereft, as well as the temper of the clergy, was favourable
to the peace and union of their diftracted country: thofe falutary
lelfons might be frequently inculcated in their popular difcourfes ;
and the epifcopal fynods were the only councils that could pretend to
the weight and authority of a national affembly. In fuch coun-
cils, where the princes and magiftrates fat promifcuoufly with the
bifhops, the important affairs of the ftate, as well as of the church,
might be freely debated ; differences reconciled, alliances formed,
contributions impofed, wife refolutions often concerted, and fome-
times executed ; and there is reafon to believe, that in moments of
extreme danger, a Pendragon, or Dictator, was elected by the general
confent of the Britons. Thefe paftoral cares, fo worthy of the epif-
copal character, were interrupted, however, by zeal and fuperflition ;
and the Britifh clergy inceffantly laboured to eradicate the Pelagian
herefy, which they abhorred, as the peculiar difgrace of their native
country ,8\

Afiembly of It is fomewhat remarkable, or rather it is extremely natural, that

the fevcn.

provinces of the revolt of Britain and Armorica mould have introduced an ap-
A.aE>'. 418. pearance of liberty into the obedient provinces of Gaul. In a fo-
lemn edict ,S9, filled with the ftrongeft affurances of that paternal

,815 See Bingham's Ecclef. Antiquities,
vol. i. 1. ix. c. 6. p. 394.

187 Tt is reported of three Britifh bifhops
who affifled at the council of Rimini, A.D.
359. tarn pauperes fuifle ut nihil haberent.
Sulpicius Severus, Hift. Sacra, I. ii. p. 420.
Some of their brethren, however, were in
better circunnlances.

188 Confult Ufher, de Antiq. Ecclef. Bri.
tannicar. c. 8 — 12.

189 See the correct text of this edift, as
publifhed by Sirmond (Not. ad Sidon. Apol-
lin. p. 147.). Hincmar, of Rheims, who
afligns a place to the bijhops, had probably
feen (in the ninth century) a more perfect
copy. Dubos, Hift. Critique de la Monar-
chic Francoife, torn. i. p. 241 — 255.

affection

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

affection which princes fo often exprefs, and fo feldom feel, the
emperor Honorius promulgated his intention of convening an an-
nual afTembly of the /even provinces : a name peculiarly appro-
priated to Aquitain, and the ancient Narbonnefe, which had long
fince exchanged their Celtic rudenefs for the ufeful and elegant arts
of Italy ,9°. Aries, the feat of government and commerce, was
appointed for the place of the afTembly ; which regularly continued
twenty-eight days, from the fifteenth of Auguft to the thirteenth of
September, of every year. It confifled of the Praetorian prefect of
the Gauls ; of feven provincial governors, one confular and fix pre-
fidents ; of the magiflrates, and perhaps the bifhops, of about fixty
cities ; and of a competent, though indefinite, number of the mod
honourable and opulent poffejfors of land, who might juflly be con-
fidered as the reprefentatives of their country. They were im-
powered to interpret and communicate the laws of their fovereign;
to expofe the grievances and wifhes of their conflituents ; to mode-
rate the excefTive or unequal weight of taxes; and to deliberate on
every fubject of local or national importance, that could tend to the
reftoration of the peace and profperity of the feven provinces. If
fuch an inflitution, which gave the people an intereft in their own
government, had been univerfally eftablifhed by Trajan or the Anto-
nines, the feeds of public wifdom and virtue might have been
cherifhed and propagated in the empire of Rome. The pri-
« vileges of the fubject would have fecured the throne of the mo-
narch ; the abufes of an arbitrary adminiftration might have been
prevented, in fome degree, or corrected, by the interpofition of thefe
reprefentative affemblies ; and the country would have been defended
againft a foreign enemy, by the arms of natives and freemen. Under

'9° It is evident from the Notitia, that the cond Aquitain. In the room of the firlt
feven provinces were the Viennenfis, the Aquitain, the Abbe Dubos, on the authority
maritime Alps, the firft and fecond Narbon- of Hincmar, defires to introduce the firft
nefe, Novempopulania, and the firil and fe- Lugdunenfis, or Lyonnefe.

the

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. tfie mild and generous influence of liberty, the Roman empire might
xxxr. B a

w — „ — — t have remained invincible and immortal ; or if its exceflive mag-
nitude, and the inftability of human affairs, had oppofed fuch per-
petual continuance, "its vital and conftituent members might have
feparately preferved their vigour and independence. But in the
decline of the empire, when every principle of health and life
had been exhaufted, the tardy application of this partial remedy
was incapable of producing any important or falutary effects. The
emperor Honorius expreffes his furprife, that he muft compel the
reluctant provinces to accept a privilege which they mould ardently
have folicited. A fine of three, or even five, pounds of gold, was
impofed on the abfent reprefentatives ; who feem to have declined
this imaginary gift of a free conftitution, as the laft and moll cruel
infult of their oppreffors.

CHAP.

THE

ROMAN EMPIRE.

281

CHAP. XXXII.

Arcadius Emperor of the Eaft, — Adminifl ration and
Dif grace of Eutropius* — Revolt of Gainas. — P erf ecu-
tkn of St. John Chryfoftom. — Theodofius II. Emperor
of the Eaft. — His Sifter Pukheria. — His IVife
Eudocia. — 'The P erf an Wary and Divifeon of Ar-
menia.

I I * H E divifion of the Roman world between the fons of Theo- CHAP.

JL dofius, marks the final eftablifhment of the empire of the _

Eaft, which, from the reign of Arcadius to the taking of Conftan- ^the^a^

tinople by the Turks, fubfifted one thoufand and fifty-eight years? A- D- 395 —

in a ftate of premature and perpetual decay. The fovereign of that Reign of

A TC eld* US

empire afTumed, and. obftinately retained, the vain, and at length A. D. 395—
fictitious, title of Emperor of the Romans; and the hereditary ap- 4°8,
pellations of Cesar and Augustus continued to declare, that he
•was the legitimate fucceflor of the firft of men, who had reigned
over the firft of nations. The palace of Conftantinople rivalled, and
perhaps excelled, the magnificence of Perfia ; and the eloquent fer-
mons of St. Chryfofiom1 celebrate, while they condemn, the pom-
pous

1 Father Montfaucon, who, by the com- execute the laborious edition of St. Chryfof-
mand of his Benedictine fuperiors, was com- torn, in thirteen volumes in folio (Paris,
pelled (fee Longueruana, torn. i. p. 205.) to 1738.), amufed himfelf with extracting from

Vol. III. O o that

2^2

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, pous luxury of the reign of Arcadius. " The emperor," fays he,
XXXII.

v.. n ' «' wears on his head either a diadem, or a crown of gold, decorated

" with precious ftones of ineftimable value. Thefe ornaments, and
" his purple garments, are referved for his facred perfon alone ;
M and his robes of filk are embroidered with the figures of golden
" dragons. His throne is of mafly gold. Whenever he appears in
" public, he is furrounded by his courtiers, his guards, and his
" attendants. Their fpears, their fhields, their cuiraffes, the bridles
" and trappings of their horfes, have either the fubftance, or the ap-
" pearance, of gold ; and the large fplendid bofs in the midft of
" their fliield, is encircled with fmaller bofles, which reprefent the
u fhape of the human eye. The two mules that draw the chariot
" of the monarch, are perfectly white, and mining all over with
" gold. The chariot itfelf, of pure and folid gold, attracts the admira-
" tion of the fpectators, who contemplate the purple curtains, the
" fnowy carpet, the fize of the precious ftones, and the refplendent
" plates of gold, that glitter as they are agitated by the motion of
" the carriage. The Imperial pictures are white, on a blue ground ;
" the emperor appears feated on his throne, wTith his arms, his
" horfes, and his guards befide him ; and his vanquifhed enemies
" in chains at his feet." The fuccefTors of Conftantine eftablifhed
their perpetual refidence in the royal city, which he had erected on
the verge of Europe and Alia. Inacceflible to the menaces of their
enemies, and perhaps to the complaints of their people, they received,
with each wind, the tributary productions of every climate ; while
the impregnable ftrength of their capital continued for ages to defy
the hoftile attempts of the Barbarians. Their dominions were
bounded by the Hadriatic and the Tigris ; and the whole interval

that immenfe collection of morals, fome cu- French DifTertation, in the Memoires de
rious antiquities, which illultrate the man- l'Acad. des Infcriptions, torn. xiii. p. 474-—
jiers of the Theodofian age (See Chryfoltom. 490.
Opera, torn. xiii, p. 192 — 196.), and his

©f

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 283

of twenty- five days navigation, which feparated the extreme cold C>H^IP*

of Scythia from the torrid zone of ^Ethiopia *, was comprehended 1

within the limits of the empire of the Eaft. The populous countries
of that empire were the feat of art and learning, of luxury and
wealth : and the inhabitants, who had afTumed the lan^uaee an J
manners of Greeks, ftiled themfelves, with fome appearance of
truth, the moft enlightened and civilifed portion of the human fpe-
cies. The form of government was a pure and fimple monarchy ;
the name of the Roman republic, which fo long preferved a
faint tradition of freedom, was confined to the Latin provinces ;
and the princes of Conftantinople meafured their greatnefs by
the fervile obedience of their people. They were ignorant how
much this paflive difpofition enervates and degrades every faculty
of the mind. The fubjects, who had refigned their will to the ab-
folute commands of a matter, were equally incapable of guarding
their lives and fortunes againft the affaults of the Barbarians, or of
defending their reafon from the terrors of fuperftition.

The firft events of the reign of Arcadius and Honorius are fo Adminirtra-
intimately connefted, that the rebellion of the Goths, and the fall Jlaerof Eul
of Rufinus, have already claimed a place in the hiftory of the Weft AropTlus'
It has already been obferved, that Eutropius \ one of the principal 399*

* According to the loofe reckoning, that fpeaks of the Mceotis in the 47th degree of

a ftiip could fail, with a fair wind, 1000 northern latitude, as if it lay within the po-

ftadia, or 125 miles, in the revolution of a lar circle.

day and night ; Diodorus Siculus computes 1 Barthius, who adored his author with

ten days from the Palus Mceotis to Rhodes, the blind fuperftition of acommentator, gives

and four days from Rhodes to Alexandria, the preference to the two books which Clau-

The navigation of the Nile, from Alexan- dian compofed againft Eutropius, above all

dria to Syene, under the tropic of Cancer, his other productions (Baillet, Jugemens des

required, as it was againft the ftream, ten Savans, torn. iv. p. 227.). They are indeed

days more. Diodor. Sicul. torn. i. 1. iii. p. a very elegant and fpinted fatire ; and would

200. edit. Wefieling. He might, without be more valuable in an hiftorical iight, if the

much impropriety, meafure the extreme heat inve&ive were lefs vague, and more tempe-

from the verge of the torrid zone; but he rate.

O O 2

eunuchs

284

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c p- eunuchs of the palace of Confbntinople, fucceeded the haughty
minifter whofe ruin he had accomplifhed, and whofe vices he foon
imitated. Every order of the ftate bowed to the new favourite ;
and their tame and obfequious fubmiflion encouraged him to infult
the laws, and, what is fall more difficult and dangerous, the man-
ners of his country. Under the weakeft of the predecefTbrs of
Arcadius, the reign of the eunuchs had been fecret, and almcft invi-
sible. They infinuated themfelves into the confidence of the prince ;
but their oftenfible functions were confined to the menial fervice of
the wardrobe and Imperial bed-chamber. They might direct, in a
whifper, the public counfels, and blaft, by their malicious fuggeftions,
the fame and fortunes of the moft illuftrious citizens ; but they
never prefumed to ftand forward in the front of empire 4, or to
profane the public honours of the ftate. Eutropius was the firft
of his artificial fex, who dared to afTume the character of a Ro-
man magiftrate and general s. Sometimes, in the prefence of the
blufhing fenate, he afcended the tribunal, to pronounce judg-
ment, or to repeat elaborate harangues ; and fometimes appeared
on horfeback, at the head of his troops, in the drefs and ar-
mour of a hero. The difregard of cuftom and decency always
betrays a weak and ill-regulated mind ; nor does Eutropius feem to
have compenfated for the folly of the defign, by any fuperior merit

* After lamenting the progrefs of the eu- 5 Jamque oblita fui, nec fobria divitiis

suchs in the Roman palace, and defining mens

their proper funftions, Claudian adds, In miferas leSes hominumque negotia

ludit :

— A fronte recedant judicat eanuchus

Imperii. ^ Arma etiam violare parat. . . .

In Eutrop. i. 422. Claudian (i. 229-270.), with that mixture-
Yet it does not appear that the eunuch had af- of indignation and humour, which always

fumed any of the efficient offices of the em- Pleafes in a fatiric Poet> defcribes the info-

j u • am j 1 t> r r lent folly of the eunuch, the difgrace of the
pire ; and he is lhled only Prspofitus facn . '■ . ' * 6

cubiculi, in the edict of his banifhment.

empire, and the joy of the Goths.

Gaudet, cum viderit hoftis,

See Cod. Theod. 1. ix. tit. xl. leg. 17. Et fentit jam deeffe viros#

t or

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

or ability in the execution. His former habits of life had not intro- CJ"*

7 XXXII.
duced him to the ftudy of the laws, or the exercifes of the field ; « — -v »

his awkward and unfuccefsful attempts provoked the fecret contempt
of the fpectators ; the Goths exprefled their wifh, that fuch a ge-
neral might always command the armies of Rome ; and the name
of the minifter was branded with ridicule, more pernicious perhaps
than hatred, to a 'public chara&er. The fubje£ts of Arcadius were
exafperated by the recollection, that this deformed and decrcpid
eunuch 6, who fo perverfely mimicked the actions of a man, was
born in the mofl abje£t condition of fervitude; that, before he en-
tered the Imperial palace, he had been fucceffively fold, and pur-
chafed, by an hundred mailers, who had exhaufted his youthful
flrength in every mean and infamous office, and at length difmifTed
him, in his old age, to freedom and poverty 7. While thefe dif-
graceful {lories were circulated, and perhaps exaggerated, in private
converfations, the vanity of the favourite was flattered with the mofl
extraordinary honours. In the fenate, in the capital, in the pro-
vinces, the flatues of Eutropius were ere&ed, in brafs or marble,
decorated with the fymbols of his civil and military virtues, and
infcribed with the pompous title of the third founder of Conftanti-
nople. He was promoted to the rank of patrician^ which began to
fignify, in a popular, and even legal acceptation, the father of the

6 The poet's lively defcription of his de- of Armenia or AfTyria. His three fervices,
formity (i. no — 125.) is confirmed by the which Claudian more particularly defcribe;,,
authentic teftimony of Chryfoftom (torn. iii. were thefe: 1. He fpent many years as the
p. 384. edit. Montfaucon) ; who obferves, catamite of Ptolemy, a groom or fold ier of
that when the paint was warned away, the the Imperial ftables. 2. Ptolemy gave him to
face of Eutropius appeared more ugly and the old general Arintheus, for whom he very-
wrinkled than that of an old woman. Clau- lkilfully exercifed the profeflion of a pimp,
dian remarks (i. 469.), and the remark mufl 3. He was given, on her marriage, to the
have been founded on experience, that there daughter of Arintheus ; and the future con-
was fcarcely any interval between the youth ful was employed to comb her hair, to pre-
and the decrepid age of an eunuch. fent the filver ewer, to warn, and to fan his

7 Eutropius appears to have been a native miftrefsm hot weather. See I. i. 31 — 137-

emperor ;

286

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c A p- emperor; and the laft year of the fourth century was polluted by
— *~ — » the confulfhip of an eunuch, and a flave. This ftrange and inexpi-
able prodigy 8 awakened, however, the prejudices of the Romans.
The effeminate confui was rejected by the Weft, as an indelible ftain
to the annals of the republic ; and, without invoking the fhades of
Brutus and Camillus, the colleague of Eutropius, a learned and re-
fpectable magiftrate9, fufficiently reprelented the different maxims of
the two adminiftrations.

and injuflicc. "^e ^old ant^ vigorous mind of Rufinus feems to have been ac-
tuated by a more fanguinary and revengeful (pint ; but the avarice
•of the eunuch was not lefs infatiate than that of the pr?efecV°.
As long as he dcfpoiled the oppreffors, who had enriched themfelves
with the plunder of the people, Eutropius might gratify his covetous
diipolition without much envy or injuftice : but the progrefs of his
rapine foon invaded the wealth which had been acquired by
lawful inheritance, or laudable induftry. The ufual methods of
extortion were praclifed and improved ; and Claudian has fketch-
ed a lively and original picture of the public audi ion of the
Hate. " The impotence of the eunuch" (fays that agreeable fatirift)
" has ferved only to ftimulate his avarice : the fame hand which, in
" his fervile condition, was exercifed in petty thefts, to unlock
u the coffers of his mafter, now grafps the riches of the world ;

8 Claudian (1. i. in Eutrcp. i — 22.), after nours, and philosophical works, have been

enumerating the various prodigies of mon- celebrated by Claudian in a very elegant pa-

ftrous births, fpeaking animals, mowers of negyric.

blood or Hones, double funs, &c. adds, with 10 Mtfowi h rSr iu fhma, drunk with riches,

fame exaggeration, is the forcible e.xpreflion of Zofimus (!. v.

„ . „- , , . n p. joi.); and the avarice of Eutropius is

Omnia cenerun: eunucho confute monitra. v ... T . c X .,

equally execrated in the Lexicon 01 buidas,

The firft book concludes with a noble fpeech anj ,he Chronicle of Marcellinus. Chryfof-

of the godcefs of Rome to her favourite Ho- tom had often admonilbed the favourite, of

norius, deprecating the new ignominy to the vanity and danger of immoderate wealth,

nvhtch Die was expofed. tom. iii. p. 381,

* Fl. Maliius Thcodorus, whofe civil ho-

and

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

287

" and this infamous broker of the empire appreciates and divides OH A P.
the Roman provinces, from Mount Haemus to the Tigris. One >- .-^--^
man, at the expence of his villa, is made proconful of Afia; a
fecond purchafes Syria with his wife's jewels ; and a third la-
ments, that he has exchanged his paternal eftate for the govern-
ment of Bithynia. In the antichamber of Eutropius, a large tablet
is expofed* to public view, which marks the refpective prices of
the provinces. The difFerent value of Pontus, of Galatia, of Ly-
" dia, is accurately diftinguiihed. Lycia may be obtained for fo
" many thoufand pieces of gold ; but the opulence of Phrygia will
** require a more considerable fum. The eunuch wifhes to obliterate,
" by the general difgrace, his perfonal ignominy ; and as he has
" been fold himfelf, he is defirous of felling the reft of mankind.
" In the eager contention, the balance, which contains the fate and
" fortunes of the province, often trembles on the beam ; and till
'* one of the fcales is inclined, by a fuperior weight, the mind of
" the impartial judge remains in anxious fufpenfe". Such" (continues
the indignant poet) " are the fruits of Roman valour, of the defeat of
" Antiochus, and of the triumph of Pompey." This venal proftitution
of public honours fecured the impunity of future crimes ; but the riches,
which Eutropius derived from confifcation, were already flamed with
injuftice ; fince it was decent to accufe, and to condemn, the proprietors
of the wealth which he was impatient to confifcate. Some noble blood
was fhed by the hand of the executioner ; and the mod inhofpitable
extremities of the empire were filled with innocent and illuftrious
exiles. Among the generals and confuls of the Eaft, Abundantius ,l

had

11 — — certantum fepe duorum guilhes the circumftances of the Tale, that
Diverfum fufpendit onus: cum pondere they all feem to allude to particular anec-

Judex dotes.
Vergit, et in geminas nutat provincia 11 Claudian (i. 154—170.) mentions the
lances. guilt and exile of Abundantius, nor could he

Claudian (i. 192 — 209.) fo curioufly diftin- fail to quote the example of the artiit, who

made

*38 THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H A P. jiaj feafon to dread the firft effects of the refentment of Eutropius.
» He had been guilty of the unpardonable crime of introducing that-

Abundan- abject flave to the palace of Conftantinople : and fome degree of
praife muft be allowed to a powerful and ungrateful favourite, who
was fatisfled with the difgrace of his benefactor. Abundantius was
{tripped of his ample fortunes by an Imperial refcript, and baniflied
to Pityus, on the Euxine, the laft frontier of the Roman world ;
where he fubfifted by the precarious mercy of the Barbarians, till he
could obtain, after the fall of Eutropius, a milder exile at Sidon in

of Timafius. Phoenicia. The deftruction of Timaiius " required a more ferious
and regular mode of attack. That great officer,- the mafter-general
of the armies of Theodofius, had fignalifed his valour by a deci-
five victory, which he obtained over the Goths of Theffaly ; but he
was too prone, after the example of his fovereign, to enjoy the
luxury of peace, and to abandon his confidence to wicked and. de-
figning flatterers. Timafius had defpifed the public clamour, by
promoting an infamous dependent to the command of a cohort ; and
he deferved to feel the ingratitude of Bargus, who was fecretly
inftigated by the favourite to accufe his patron of a treafonable con-
ipiracy^ The general was arraigned before the tribunal of Arcadius
himfelf ; and the principal eunuch ftood by the fide of the throne,
to fuggeft the queiiions and anfwers of his fovereign. But as this
form of trial might be deemed partial and arbitrary, the farther

made the firft trial of the brazen bull, which picture of Timafius. The account of his ac-
he prefer.ted to Phalaris. See Zofimus, 1. v. cufer, the nidges, trial, &c. is perfectly
p. 302. Jerom, torn. i. p. 26. The d;ffer- agreeable to the praftice of ancient and mo-
ence of place is eafily reconciled ; but the dern courts. (See Zofimus, L v. p. 298,
decifive authority of Afterius of Amafia 299, 300.) I am almoft tempted to quote
(Orat. iv. p. 76. apud Tillemont, Hift. des the romance of -a great mailer (Fielding's
Kmpereurs, torn, v: p. 435.) muft turn the Works, vol. iv. p. 49, &c."8vo edit.), which
fcalc in favour of Pityus. may be coniidered as the hiftory of human

13 Suiaas (moft probably from the hiftory nature.

Eunapius) has given a very unfavourable

enquiry

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

enquiry into the crimes of Timafius was delegated to Saturninus and
Procopius ; the former of confular rank, the latter ftill refpedted as
the father-in-law of the emperor Valens. The appearances of a fair
and legal proceeding were maintained by the blunt honefty of Pro-
copius ; and he yielded with reluctance to the obfequious dexterity
of his colleague, who pronounced a fentence of condemnation againft
the unfortunate Timafius. His immenfe riches were confifcated, in
the name of the emperor, and for the benefit of the favourite ; and
he was doomed to perpetual exile at Oafis, a folitary fpot in the midft
of the fandy deferts of Libya ,+. Secluded from all human converfe,
the mafter-general of the Roman armies was loft for ever to the
world; but the circumftances of his fate have been related in a
various and contradictory manner. It is infinuated, that Eutrc-
pius difpatched a private order for his fecret execution IS. It was
reported, that, in attempting to efcape from Oafis, he perifhed in
the defert, of thirft and hunger ; and that his dead body was found
on the fands of Libya"5. It has been afTerted, with more confidence,
that his fon Syagrius, after fuccefsfully eluding the purfuit of the
agents and emiffaries of the court, collected a band of African robbers ;
that he refcued Timafius from the place of his exile ; and that
both the father and the fon difappeared from the knowledge of
mankind17. But the ungrateful Bargus, inftead of being fuiTered to

,+ The great Oafis was one of the fpots in
the fands of Libya, watered with fprings,
and capable of producing wheat, barley,
and palm-trees. It was about three days
journey from north to fouth, about half a
day in breadth, and at the diftance of about
iive days march to the weft of Abydus, on
the Nile. See d'Anville, Defcription de
l'Egypte, p. 1 86, 187, 188. The barren
defert which encompafles Oafis (Zofimus,
l.v. p. 300.) has fuggefted the idea of com-
parative fertility, and even the epithet of the
happy ijland (Herodot. iii. 26.).

Vol. III.

*5 The line of Claudian, in Eutrop. 1. i.
180.

Marmaricus claris violatur csdibus Ham-
mon,

evidently alludes to his pjrfuafion of the death
of Timafius.

,fi Sozomen, 1. viii. c. 7. He fpeaks from
report, a$ rwo( ETn/fio^ii.

17 Zofimus, 1. v. p. 300. Yet he fecms
to fufpedl that this rumour was fpread by
the friends of Eutropius.

P p pofTefs

290

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. poffefs the reward of guilt, was foon afterwards circumvented and

XXXII.

\ t deftroyed, by the more powerful villany of the minifter himfelf ;

who retained fenfe and fpirit enough to abhor the inftrument of his
own crimes.

A cruel and ^ The public hatred, and the defpair of individuals, continually
treafon, * threatened, or feemed to threaten, the perfonal fafety of Eutropius ;
September 4. as we^ as °f tne numerous adherents, who were attached to his for-
tune, and had been promoted by his venal favour. For their mu-
tual defence, he contrived the fafeguard of a law, which violated
every principle of humanity and juftice ,8. I. It is enacted,
in the name, and by the authority, of Arcadius, that all thofe who
{hall confpire, either with fubjects, or with ftrangers, againft the
lives of any of the perfons whom the emperor confiders as the mem-
bers of his own body, lhall be punifhed with death and confifcation.
This fpecies of fictitious and metaphorical treafon is extended to
protect, not only the illujlrlous officers of the ftate and army, who
are admitted into the facred confiftory, but likewife the principal
domeftics of the palace, the fenators of Conftantinople, the military
commanders, and the civil magiftrates of the provinces : a vague and
indefinite lift, which, under the fucceffors of Confta-ntine, included
an obfcure and numerous train of fubordinate miniflers. II. This-
extreme feverity might perhaps be juftified, had it been only
directed to fecure the reprefentatives of the fovereign from any
actual violence in the execution of their office. But the whole body
of Imperial dependents claimed a privilege, or rather impunity,
which fcreened them, in the loofeft moments of their lives, from the

18 See the Theodofian Code, I. Ix. tit. 14. defray, in a formal diflertation, which he has

ad legem Corneliam de Sicariis, leg. 3. and inferted in his Commentary, illuftrates this

the Codeof Juftinian, 1. ix. tit. viii. ad legem law of Arcadius, and explains all the difficult

JuliamdeMajeltate, leg. 5. The alteration palTages which had been perverted by the ju-

of the titk, from murder to treafon, was an rifconfults of the darlier ages. See torn. iii.

improvement of the fubtle Tribonian. Go- p. 88— 111.

hafty,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

231

hafty, perhaps the juftiliable, refentment of their fellow-citizens : and,
by a ftrange perverfion of the laws, the fame degree of guilt and v
punifhment was applied to a private quarrel, and to a deliberate
-confpiracy againft the emperor and the empire. The edict of Arca-
dius moft pofitively and moft abfurdly declares, that in fuch cafes of
treafon, thoughts and aftions ought to be punifhed with equal feve-
rity ; that the knowledge of a mifchievous intention, unlefs it be
inftantly revealed, becomes equally criminal with the intention it-
felf 19 ; and that thofe ram men, who lhall prefume to folicit the
pardon of traitors, mail themfeives be branded with public and per-
petual infamy. III. " With regard to the fons of the traitors,"
(continues the emperor) " although they ought to fhare the punifh-
V ment, fince they will probably imitate the guilt, of their parents ;

yet, by the fpecial effect of our Imperial lenity, we grant them
" their lives : but, at the fame time, we declare them incapable of
w inheriting, either on the father's or on the mother's fide, or of
" receiving any gift or legacy, from the teftament either of kinfmen
** or of ftrangers. Stigmatifed with hereditary infamy, excluded
" from the hopes of honours or fortune, let them endure the pangs
" of poverty and contempt, till they mall confider life as a calamity,
" and death as a comfort and relief." In fuch words, fo well adapted
to infult the feelings of mankind, did the emperor, or rather his
favourite eunuch, applaud the moderation of a law, which tranf-
ferred the fame unjuft and inhuman penalties to the children of all
thofe who had feconded, or who had not difclofed, thefe fictitious
confpiracies. Some of the nobleft regulations of Roman jurifpru-

19 Bartolus underftands a fimple and naked approve the theory of Bartolus ; but in prac-

confeioufnefs, without any fign of approba- tice I mould incline to the fentiment of

tion or concurrence. For this opinion, fays Baldus. Yet Bartolus was gravely quoted by

Baldus, he is now roafting in hell. For my the lawyers of Cardinal Richelieu ; and Eu-

own part, continues the difcreet He.'neccius tropius was indiredly guilty of the murder of

(Element. Jur. Civil. 1. iv. p. 411.), Imuft the virtuous de Thou.

P p 2 dence

CHAP.

xxxif.

. v' 1

292

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, dence have been fuffered to expire ; but this edict, a convenient and

xxxii. . .

\. „ 1 forcible engine of minifterial tyranny, was carefully inferted in the

Codes of Theodofms and Juftinian ; and the fame maxims have been-

revived in modern ages, to protect the electors of Germany, and

the cardinals of the church of Rome ao.

Rebellion of Yet thefe fanguinary laws, which fpread terror among a difarmed

Tribigild, ' . . _ , n '.

A. D. 399. and difpinted people, were 01 too weak a texture to reltrain the
bold enterprife of Tribigild *! the Oftrogoth. The colony of that
warlike nation, which had been planted by Theodofms in one of
the moft fertile diftricts of Phrygia impatiently compared the
flow returns of laborious hufbandry, with the fuccefsful rapine and
liberal rewards of Alaric ; and their leader refented, as a perfonal
affront, his own ungracious reception in the palace of Constantinople.
A foft and wealthy province, in the heart of the empire, was aftonilhed
by the found of war ; and the faithful vaflal, who had been disre-
garded or oppreffed, was again refpected, as foon as he refumed the
hoftile character of a Barbarian. The vineyards and fruitful fields, be-
tween the rapid Marfyas and the winding Mseander Z3, were confumed
with fire; the decayed walls of the cities crumbled into duft, at the firft
ftroke of an enemy ; the trembling inhabitants efcaped from a bloody

a0 Godefroy, tom. iii. p. 89. It is, how- very far on every fide, till their limits were

ever, fufpecled, that this law, fo repugnant contracted by the colonies of the Bithynians

to the maxims of Germanic freedom, has of Thrace, of the Greeks, and at laft of the

been furreptitioufly added to the golden bull. Gauls. His defcription (ii. 257 — 272.) of

" A copious and circumftantial narrative the fertility of Phrygia, and of the four ri-

(which he might have referved for more im- vers that produce gold, is juft and piftu-

portant events) is beftowed by Zofimus (1. v. refque.

p. 304 — 3 1 2.) on the revolt of Tribigild and 13 Xenophon. Anabafis, 1. i. p. it, 12.
Gainas. See likewife Socrates, 1. vi. c. 6. edit. Hutchinfon. Strabo, 1. xii. p. 865. edit.,
and Sozomen, 1. viii. c. 4. The fecond Amftel. Curt. 1. iii. c. 1. Claudian corn-
book of Claudian againft Eutropius, is a pares the junction of the Marfyas and Msean-
fine, though imperfedl, piece of hiftory. der to that of the Saone and the Rhone ;;

a* Claudian (in Eutrop. 1. ii. 237—250.) with this difference, however, that the fmaller

very accurately obferves, that the ancient of the Phrygian rivers is not accelerated,

" name and nation of the Phrygians extended but retarded, by the larger.

mafTacre

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

293

maflacre to the mores of the Hellefpont ; and a confiderable part of CVI^.V^TP•

Afia Minor was defolated by the rebellion of Tribigild. His rapid « ^ '

progrefs was checked by the refiftance of the peafants of Pamphylia ;
and the Oftrogoths, attacked in a narrow pafs, between the city of
Selgse 2>, a deep morafs, and the craggy clifts of Mount Taurus,
were defeated with the lofs of their braveft troops. But the fpirit
of their chief was not daunted by misfortune ; and his army was
continually recruited by fwarms of Barbarians and outlaws, who
were deilrous of exercifing the profeffion of robbery, under the
more honourable names of war and conqueft. The rumours of the
fuccefs of Tribigild might for fome time be fuppreffed by fear, or
difguifed by flattery ; yet they gradually alarmed both the court and
the capital. Every misfortune was exaggerated in dark and doubtful
hints ; and the future defigns of the rebels became the fubjecl: of
anxious conjecture. Whenever Tribigild advanced into the inland
country, the Romans were inclined to fuppofe that he meditated
the paffage of Mount Taurus, and the invafion of Syria. If he de-
fcended towards the fea, they imputed, and perhaps fuggefted, to
the Gothic chief, the more dangerous project of arming a fleet in
the harbours of Ionia, and of extending his depredations along the
maritime coaft, from the mouth of the Nile to the port of Conftan-
tinople. The approach of danger, and the obftinacy of Tribigild,
who refufed all terms of accommodation, compelled Eutropius to
iummon a council of war15. After claiming for himfelf the privilege
of a veteran foldier, the eunuch entrufted the guard of Thrace and

24 Selgas, a colony of the Lacedemonians, members of the former were, juvenes protervi

had formerly numbered twenty thoufand ci- lafcivique fenes; one of them had been a

tizens ; but in the age of Zcfimus it was re- cook, a fecond a woolcomber. The language

duced to a woJWjflu;, or fmall town. See Cella- of their original profeffion expofes their af-

rius, Geograph. Antiq. torn. ii. p. 117. fumed dignity; and their trifling converfa-

15 The council of Eutropius, in Claudian, tion about tragedies, dancers, &c. is made

may be compared to that of Domitian in the ft ill more ridiculous by the importance of

fourth fatire of Juvenal. The principal the debate.

the

THE DECLINE AND FALL

X H A P. ^|ie Hcllefpont to Gainas the Goth ; and the command of the Afiatic

XXXII.

.army to his favourite Leo ; two generals, who differently, but effec-
tually, promoted the caufe of the rebels. Leo I6, who, from the
bulk of his body, and the dulnefs of his mind, was furnamed the
Ajax of the Eaft, had deferted his original trade of a woolcomber,
to exercife, with much lefs fkill and fuccefs, the military profeffion :
and his uncertain operations were capricioufly framed and executed,
with an ignorance of real difficulties, and a timorous neglect of
every favourable opportunity. The rafhnefs of the Oftrogoths had
drawn them into a difadvantageous pofition between the rivers
Melas and Eurymedon, where they were almoft befieged by the
peafants of Famphylia ; but the arrival of an Imperial army, inftead
of completing their deftruction, afforded the means of fafety and
victory. Tribigild furprifed the unguarded camp of the Romans, in
the darknefs of the night ; feduced the faith of the greater part
of the Barbarian auxiliaries, and diffipated, without much effort,
the troops, which had been corrupted by the relaxation of difci-
pline, and the luxury of the capital. The difcontent of Gainas*
who had fo boldly contrived and executed the death of Rufinus, was
irritated by the fortune of his unworthy fuccefTor; he accufed his
own dilhonourable patience under the fervile reign of an eunucli ;
and the ambitious Goth was convicted, at leaft in the public opinion,
of fecretly fomenting the revolt of Tribigild, with whom he was
connected by a domeftic, as well as by a national, alliance *7. When
Gainas paffed the Hellefpont, to unite under his ftandard the remains
of the Afiatic troops, he fkilfully adapted his motions to the wifhes
of the Oftrogoths ; abandoning, by his retreat, the country which

16 Claudian (1. ii. 376 — 461.) has branded which is attefted by the Greek hiftorian, had

him with infamy ; and Zofimus, in more not reached the ears of Claudian, who attri-

temperate language, confirms his reproaches, butes the revolt of the Oftrogoth to his own

X. v. p. 305. martial fpirit, and the advice of his wife.
-*7 The anffiracy of Gainas and Tribigild,

6 they

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, 29,5

CHAP.

XXXII.
^ '

they defired to invade ; or facilitating, by his approach, the dcfcrtion
of the Barbarian auxiliaries. To the Imperial court he repeatedly
magnified the valour, the genius, the inexhauftible refources of Tri-
bigild; confeffed his own inability to profecute the war; and extorted
the permiffion of negotiating, with his invincible adverfary. The
conditions of peace were dictated by the haughty rebel ; and the
peremptory demand of the head of Eutropius, revealed the author and
the defign of this hoftile confpiracy.

The bold fatirift, who has indulged his difcontent by the partial Fall of £u-

and paflionate cenfure of the Chriftian emperors, violates the dignity, a° D?'
rather than the truth, of hiftory, by comparing the fon of Theo-
dofius to one of thofe harmlefs and fimple animals, who fcarcely feel
that they are the property of their fhepherd. Two paflions, how-
ever, fear and conjugal affection, awakened the languid foul of Ar-
cadius : he was terrified by the threats of a victorious Barbarian ;
and he yielded to the tender eloquence of his wife Eudoxia, who,
with a flood of artificial tears, prefenting.her infant children to their
father, implored his juftice for fome real or imaginary iniult, which
fhe imputed to the audacious eunuch 2S. The emperor's hand was
directed to fign the condemnation of Eutropius ; the magic fpell,
which during four years had bound the prince and the people, was
inftantly diflblved ; and the acclamations, that fo lately hailed the
merit and fortune of the favourite, were converted into the clamours
of the foldiers and people, who reproached his crimes, and prefTed
his immediate execution. In this hour of diftrefs and defpair, his
only refuge was in the fanctuary of the church, whofe privileges he
had wifely, or profanely, attempted to circumfcribe; and the molt
eloquent of the faints, John Chryfoftom, enjoyed the triumph of

*8 This anecdote, which Philoflorgius alone portant; fince it connefts the revolt of the
has preferved (1. xi. c. 6. and Gothofrcd. Goths with the fecret intrigues of the pa-
Diflertat. p. 451—456.), is curious and im- lace.

protecting

399-

2()6

THE DECLINE AND FALL

protecting a proftrate minifter, whofe choice had raifed him to the
■ecclefiaftica! throne of Conftantinople. The archbifhop, afcending
the pulpit of the cathedral, that he might be diftinctly feen and heard
by an innumerable crowd of either fex and of every age, pronounced
a feafonable and pathetic difcourfe on the forgivenefs of injuries,
and the inftability of human greatnefs. The agonies of the pale and
affrighted wretch, who lay groveling under the table -of the altar,
exhibited a folemn and instructive fpectacle; and the orator, who
was afterwards accufed of infulting the misfortunes of Eutropiu?,
laboured to excite the contempt, that he might affuage the fury,
■of the people I9. The powers of humanity, of fuperftition, and of
eloquence prevailed. The emprefs Eudoxia was reftrained, by her
own prejudices, or by thofe of her fubjects, from violating the fanc-
tuary of the church ; and Eutropius was tempted to capitulate, by
the milder arts of perfuafion, and by an oath, that his life mould be
fpared 3°. Carelefs of the dignity of their fovereign, the new mi-
nifters of the palace immediately published an edict, to declare, that
his late favourite had difgraced the names of conful and patrician,
to abolifh his ftatues, to confifcate his wealth, and to inflict a per-
petual exile in the ifland of Cyprus A despicable and decrepid

19 See the Homily of Chryfoftom, torn. iii.
p. 381 — 386. of which the exordium is par-
ticularly beautiful. Socrates, 1. vi. c. 5. So-
zomen, 1. viii. c. 7. Montfaucon (in his
Life of Chryfoftom, torn. xiii. p. 135-) too
haftily fuppofes that Tribigild was aflually
in Conftantinople ; and that he commanded
the foldiers who were ordered to feize Eutro-
pius. Even Claudian, a Pagan poet (Pra,-fat.
ad 1. ii. in Eutrop. 27.), has mentioned the
flight of the eunuch to the fanduary.

Suppliciterque pias humilis proftratus ad
aras

Mitigat iratas voce tremente nurus.
30 Chryfoftom, in another homily (torn,
iii. p. 386.), affects to declare, thatEutro-

pius would not have been taken, had he not
deferted the church. Zofimus (1. v. p. 313.),
on the contrary, pretends, that his enemies
forced him {{^c^watruAet «'■■«>) from the fanc-
tuary. Vet the promife is an evidence of
fome treaty; and the ftrong affurance of
Claudian (Pra;fat. ad 1. ii. 46.,),

Sed tamen exemplo non feriere tuo,
may be confidered as an evidence of 'bme
promife.

" Cod. Theod. 1. ix. tit. xt. leg. 14. The
date of that law (Jan. 17, A. D. 399.) is er-
roneous and corrupt; fince the fall of Eu-
tropius could not happen till the autumn of
the fame year. See Tillemont, Hift. des
Empereurs, torn. v. p. 780.

eunuch

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

eunuch could no longer alarm the fears of his enemies ; nor was he

capable of enjoying what yet remained, the comforts of peace, of ' * '

folitude, and of a happy climate. But their implacable revenge ftill
envied him the laft moments of a miferable life, and Eutropius had
no fooner touched the mores of Cyprus, than he was haftily recalled.
The vain hope of eluding, by a change of place, the obligation of
an oath, engaged the emprefs to transfer the fcene of his trial and
execution, from Conftantinople to the adjacent fuburb of Chalcedon.
The conful Aurelian pronounced the fentence ; and the motives of
that fentence expofe the jurifprudence of a defpotic government.
The crimes which Eutropius had committed againft the people,
might have juftified his death; but he was found guilty of harneffing
to his chariot the facred animals, who, from their breed, or colour,
were referved for the ufe of the emperor alone 31.

While this domeftic revolution was tranfacted, Gainas 33 openly Confpiracy
revolted from his allegiance ; united his forces, at Thyatira in Lydia, Gainas, °f
with thofe of Tribigild ; and ftill maintained his fuperior afcendant A' D' 4001
over the rebellious leader of the Oftrogoths. The confederate armies
advanced, without refiftance, to the Streights of the Hellelpont, and
the Bofphorus ; and Arcadius was inftructed to prevent the lofs of
his Afiatic dominions, by refigning his authority and his perfon to
the faith of the Barbarians. The church of the holy martyr Euphe-
mia, fituate on a lofty eminence near Chalcedon 3+, was chofen for
the place of the interview. Gainas bowed, with reverence, at the
feet of the emperor, whilft he required the facrifice of Aurelian and

31 Zofimus, I. v. p. 313. Philoftorgius, of Zofimus himfclf (1. v. p. 314.). who in-

1. xi. c. 6. advertently ufes the fafliionable language of

33 Zofimus (1. v. p. 313 — 323.), Socrates the Chriltians. Evagrius defcribes (1. ii. c. 3.)
(1. vi. c. 4.), Sozomen (1. viii. c. 4.), and the fituation, architecture, relics, and mira-
Theodoret (1. v. c. 32, 33.), reprefent, cles of that celebrated church, in which the
though with fome various circumftances, the general council of Chalcedon was afterwards
confpiracy, defeat, and death of Gainas. held.

34 Oj-iaj Evtr.;Ma; papv^w, is the expreflion

Vol. III. Q^(| Saturninus,

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Saturninus, two minifters of confular rank ; and their naked necks
were expofed, by the haughty rebel, to the edge of the fword, till he
condefcended to grant them a precarious and1 difgraceful refpite.
The Goths, according to the terms of the agreement, were imme-
diately tranfported from Afia into Europe ; and their victorious chief,
who accepted the title of mafter-general of the Roman armies,
foon filled Conftantinople with his troops, and diftributed among his
dependents, the honours and rewards of the empire. In his early
youth, Gainas had paffed the Danube as a fuppliant, and a fugi-
tive : his elevation had been the work of valour and fortune ; and
his indifcreet, or perfidious conduct, was the caufe of his rapid
downfal. Notwithftanding the vigorous oppofition of the arch-
bilhop, he importunately claimed, for his Arian fectaries, the pof-
feflion of a peculiar church ; and the pride of the catholics was
offended by the public toleration of herefy ". Every quarter of Con-
ftantinople was filled with tumult and diforder ; and the Barbarians
gazed with fuch ardour on the rich fhops of the jewellers, and the
tables of the bankers, which were covered with gold and filver,
that it was judged prudent to remove thofe dangerous temptations
from their fight. They refented the injurious precaution ; and fome
alarming attempts were made, during the night, to attack and deftroy
with fire the Imperial palace 3\ In this ftate of mutual and fufpicious
hoftility, the guards, and the people of Conftantinople, fhut the
gates, and rofe in arms to prevent, or to punifh, the confpiracy of
the Goths. During the abfence of Gainas, his troops were furprifed
and oppreffed ; feven thoufand Barbarians perifhed in this bloody

35 The pious remor.ftrances of Chryfoftom, Gainas, was obliged to melt the plate of the

which do not appear in his own writings, are church of the Apoftles.

Itrongly urged by Theodoret ; but hisinfinu- 36 The ecclefiaftical hiitorians, who fome-

ation, that they were iuccefsful, is difproved times guide, and fometimes follow, the pub-

by fadts. Tillemont (Hift. des Empereurs, lie opinion, moft confidently aflert, that the

torn. v. 383.) has ciifcovered, that the em- palace of Conftantinople was guarded by le-

peror, to fatisfy the rapacious demands of gions of angels.

2 malTacre ;

OT THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

mafTacre. In the fury of the purfuit, the catholics uncovered the e*J* F'
roof, and continued to throw down flaming logs of wood, till they v~ /
"overwhelmed their adverfaries, who had retreated to the church or
conventicle of the Arians. Gainas was either innocent of the defign,
or too confident of his fuccefs : he was aftonifhed by the intelli-
gence, that the flower of his army had been inglorioufly deftrcyed.;
that he himfelf was declared a public enemy ; and that his country-
man, Fravitta, a brave and loyal confederate, had aflumed the ma-
nagement of the war by fea and land. The enterprifes of the rebel,
againft the cities of Thrace, were encountered by a firm and well-
ordered defence : his hungry foldiers were foon reduced to the grafs
that grew on the margin of the fortifications ; and Gainas, who vainly
regretted the wealth and luxury of Afia, embraced a defperate refo-
lution of forcing the palfage of the Hellefpont. He was deftitute
of veflels ; but the woods of the Cherfonefus afforded materials for
rafts, and his intrepid Barbarians did not refufe to truft themfelves to
the waves. But Fravitta attentively watched the progrefs of their Decembem.
undertaking. As foon as they had gained the middle of the ftream,
the Roman gallies 37, impelled by the full force, of oars, of the cur-
rent, and of a favourable wind, rufhed forwards in compact order,
and with irrefiftible weight ; and the Hellefpont was covered with
the fragments of the Gothic fhipwreck. After the deftruclion of his
hopes, and the lofs of many thoufands of his braveft foldiers, Gainas,
who could no longer afpire to govern, or to fubdue, the Romans,
determined to refume the independence of a favage life. A light
and active body of Barbarian horfe, difengaged from their infantry

37 Zofimus (1, v. p. 319.) mentions thefe concludes, from the teftimony of Polybius,

gallies by the name of Liburnians, and ob- that gallies of a ftill larger fise had been com-

ferves, that they were as fwift (without ex- ftructed in the runic -wars. Since the efta-

plaining the diiFerence between them) as the blifhment of the Roman empire over the Me-

veiTels with fifty oars ; but that they were diterranean, the ufelefs art of building large

far inferior in fpeed to the triremes, which fhips of war had probably been neglefted, and

had been long difufed. Yet he reafonably at length forgotten.

anc

3oo THE DECLINE AND FALL

CxxxiIP' anC^ ^aSSaSe5 mig^t perform, in eight or ten days, a march of
s.,,v / three hundred -miles from the Hellefpont to the Danube 38, the gar-
rifons of that important frontier had been gradually annihilated ; the
river, in the month of December, would be deeply frozen ; and the
unbounded profpecl: of Scythia was open to the ambition of Gainas.
This defign was fecretly communicated to the national troops, who
devoted themfelves to the fortunes of their leader ; and before the
fignal of departure was given, a great number of provincial auxili-
aries, whom he fufpected of an attachment to their native country,
were perndioufly mafiacred. The Goths advanced, by rapid marches,
through the plains of Thrace ; and they were foon delivered from the
fear of a purfuit, by the vanity of Fravitta, who, inilead of extin-
guifhing the war, haftened to enjoy the popular applaufe, and to
affume the peaceful honours of the confulfhip. But a formidable
ally appeared in arms to vindicate the majefty of the empire, and
to guard the peace and liberty of Scythia 39. The fuperior forces
of Uldin, king of the Huns, oppofed the progrefs of Gainas;
an hoftile and ruined country prohibited his retreat ; he difdained to
capitulate ; and after repeatedly attempting to cut his way through
the ranks of the enemy, he was (lain, with his defperate followers, in
A. D. 401, the field of battle. Eleven days after the naval victory of the Hel-
January 3. iefp0nt, the head of Gainas, the ineftimable gift of the conqueror,
was received at Conftantinople with the moft liberal expreffions of
gratitude ; and the public deliverance was celebrated by feftivals and

58 Chiftiull (Travels, p. 61 — 65. 7Z~7&-) Sozomen, that he was killed in Thrace ; and

proceeded from Gallipoli, through Hadria- by the precife and authentic dates of the

nople, to the Danube, in about fifteen days. Alexandrian, or Fafchal, Chronicle, p. 307.

He was in the train of an Englifh ambafTador, The naval victory of the Hellefpont is fixed

whofe baggage confuted of feventy-one wag- to the month Apellasus, the tenth of the

gons. That learned traveller has the merit calends of January (December 23.) ; the head

of tracing a curious and unfrequented route. of Gainas was brought to Conftantinople the

39 The narrative of Zofimus, who actually third of the nones of January (January 3.),

leads Gainas beyond the Danube, muft be in the month Audynaeus.
• corrected by the teftimony of Socrates, and

\ illuminations.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

illuminations. The triumphs of Arcadius became the fubject of Cx*^jP"

epic poems 43 ; and the monarch, no longer oppreiTed by any hoftile ' * —

terrors, refigned himfelf to the mild and abfolute dominion of his
wife, the fair and artful Eudoxia ; who has fullied her fame by the
persecution of St. John Chryfoftom.

After the death of the indolent Nectarius, the fucceiTor of Gregory Eleaionand
Nazianzen, the church of Conftantinople was diftracted by the am- chryfo°ftom,
bition of rival candidates, who were not afhamed to folicit, with gold pebruar^U
or flattery, the fuiTrage of the people, or of the favourite. On this
occafion, Eutropius feems to have deviated from his ordinary maxims ;
and his uncorrupted judgment was determined only by the fuperior
merit of a ftranger. In a late journey into the Eaft, he had admired
the fermons of John, a native and prefbyter of Antioch, whofe name
has been diftinguiilied by the epithet of Chryfoftom, or the Golden
Mouth A private order was difpatched to the governor of Syria ;
and as the people might be unwilling to refign their favourite preach-
er, he was tranfported, with fpeed and fecrecy, in a poft-chariot,
from Antioch to Conftantinople. The unanimous and unfolicited

*° Eufebius Scholafticus acquired much xiii. p. i — 90. edit. Montfaucon. 2. The
fame by his poem on the Gothic war, in moderate Erafmus (torn. iii. epift. mcl. p.
which he had ferved. Near forty years after- 1331— 1347. edit. Lngd. Bat.). His viva-
wards, Arr.monius recited another poem on city and good fenfe were his own ; his errors,
the fame fubject, in the prefence of the em- in the uncultivated ftate of ecclefiaftical anti-
peror Thecdofius. See Socrates, i. vi. c. 6. quity, were almoft inevitable. 3. The

41 The fixth book cf Socrates, the eighth learned Tillemcnt (Mem. EcclefialHques,
ofSozomen, and the fifth of Theodoret, af- torn. xi. p. 1 — 405. 547—626, &c. &c.) ;
fcrd curious and authentic materials for the who compiles the lives of the faints with in-
life of John Chryfoftom. Befides thofe ge- credible patience, and religious accuracy,
neral hiitorians, I have taken for my guides He has minutely fearched the voluminous
the four principal biographers of the faint, works of Chryfoftom himfelf. 4. Father
l. The author of a partial and paSonate Vin- Montfaucon; who has peru fed thofe works
dication of the Archbifhcp ci Con:!? -. rinople, with the curious diligence of an editor, dif-
compofed in the form of a dialogue, and under covered feveral new homilies, and again
the name of his zealous partizan, Pailadius, reviewed and compofed the life of Chryfof-
biftiop of Helenopolis (Tillemont, Mem. torn (Opera Chryfoftom. torn. xiii. p. 91 —
Ecclef. torn. xi. p. 500- 533.). Itisinfert- 177.).
cd among the works of Chryfoftom, tern.

confent

302

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, confent of the court, the clergy, and the people, ratified the choice

< » ' of the minifter ; and, both as a faint, and as an orator, the new

archbifhop furpafled the fanguine expectations of the public. Born
of a noble and opulent family, in the capital of Syria, Chryfoftom
had been educated, by the care of a tender mother, under the tuition
of the moft fkilful matters. He ftudied the ait of rhetoric in the
fchool of Libanius ; and that celebrated fophift, who foon difcovered
the talents of his difciple, ingenuoufly confefled, that John would
have deferred to fucceed him, had he not been ftolen away by the
Chriftians. His piety foon difpofed him to receive the facrament
of baptifm ; to renounce the lucrative and honourable profeffion of
the law ; and to bury himfelf in the adjacent defert, where he fub-
dued the lufts of the flefh by an auftere pennance of fix years. His
infirmities compelled him to return to the fociety of mankind ;
and the authority of Meletius devoted his talents to the fervice of
the church : but in the midft of his family, and afterwards on the
archiepifcopal throne, Chryfoftom ftill perfevered in the practice of
the monaftic virtues. The ample revenues, which his predecelfors
had confumed in pomp and luxury, he diligently applied to the
eftablifhment of hofpitals ; and the multitudes, who were fupported by
his charity, preferred the eloquent and edifying difcourfes of their
archbifhop, to the amufements of the theatre, or the circus. The
monuments of that eloquence, which was admired near twenty
years at Antioch and Conftantinople, have been carefully preferved ;
and the poffeffion of near one thoufand fermons, or homilies, has
-authorifed the critics ** of fucceeding times to appreciate the genuine
merit of Chryfoftom. They unanimoufly attribute to the Clinician

As I am almoji a ftranger to the volu- Ecclefiaftique (torn. iii. p. 38.) : yet the good
minous fermons of Chryfoltcm, I have given talte of the former is fometimes vitiated by an
my confidence to the two moft judicious and excefTive love of antiquity ; and the good fenfe
moderate of the ecclefnulical critics, Erasmus of the latter is always reftrained by prudential
.^tom. iii. p. 1344.), andDupin (Bibliotheque confiderations.

orator,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

3°3

orator, the free command of an elegant and copious language ; the CHAP.

• 1 tii • XXXII.

judgment to conceal the advantages which he derived from the v -v ■»

knowledge of rhetoric and philofophy ; an inexhauftible fund of
metaphors and fimilitudes, of ideas and images, to vary and illus-
trate the moft familiar topics ; the happy art of engaging the pamon6
in the fervice of virtue ; and of expofing the folly, as well as the
turpitude, of vice, almoft with the truth and fpirit of a dramatic
reprefentation.

The paftoral labours of the archbifhop of Constantinople provoked, His admini-
and gradually united againft him, two forts of enemies ; the afpiring defeft"
clergy, who envied his fuccefs, and the obftinate finners, who were ^03D' 358"~
offended by his reproofs. When Chryfoftom thundered, from the
pulpit of St. Sophia, againft the degeneracy of the Chriftians, his
fhafts were fpent among the crowd, without wounding, or even
marking, the character of any individual. When he declaimed againft
the peculiar vices of the rich, poverty might obtain a tranfient confola-
tion from his invectives : but the guilty were ftill fheltered by their
numbers ; and the reproach itfelf was dignified by fome ideas of
fuperiority, and enjoyment. But as the pyramid rofe towards the
fummit, it infenfibly diminifhed to a point ; and the magiftrates, the
minifters, the favourite eunuchs, the ladies of the court 43, the em-
prefs Eudoxia herfelf, had a much larger mare of guilt, to divide
among a fmaller proportion of criminals. The perfonal applications
of the audience were anticipated, or confirmed, by the teftimony
of their own confcience ; and the intrepid preacher affumed the dan-
gerous right of expofing both the offence, and the offender, to the

43 The females of Conftantinople uiftin- who reproached their affectation to conceal,

guimed themfelves by their enmity or their by the ornaments of drefs, their age and ug-

attachment to Chryfoftom. Three noble and Jir.efs (Pallad. p. 27.). OJympias, by equal

opul?nt widows, Marfa, Caftricia, and Eu- zeal, difplayed in a more pious caufe, has

graphia, were the leaders of the perfecntion obtained the title of faint. See Tillemont,

(Pallad. Dialog, torn. xiii. p. 14.). It was Mem. Ecclef. torn. xi. 416 — 440.
impoilible that they mould forgive a preacher,

public

3°4

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XX,, I.

public abhorrence. The fecret refentment of the court encouraged
the difcontent of the clergy and monks of Conftantinople, who were
too haftily reformed by the fervent zeal of their archbifhop. He
had condemned, from the pulpit, the domeftic females of the clergy
of Conftantinople, who, under the name of fervants, or fifters, af-
forded a perpetual occafion either of fin, or of fcandal. The filcnt
and folitary afcetics, who had fecluded themfelves from the world,
were intitled to the warmed approbation of Chryfoftom ; but he
defpifed and ftigmatifed, as the difgrace of their holy profeffion, the
crowd of degenerate monks, who, from fome unworthy motives of
pleafure or profit, fo frequently infefted the ftreets of the capital. To
the voice of perfuafion, the archbifhop was obliged to add the terrors
of authority ; and his ardour, in the exercife of ecclefiaftical juris-
diction, was not always exempt from paffion ; nor was it always
guided by prudence. Chryfoftom was naturally of a choleric difpo-
fition 4+. Although he ftruggled, according to the precepts of the
gofpel, to love his private enemies, he indulged himfelf in the pri-
vilege of hating the enemies of God, and of the church; and his
fentiments were fometimes delivered with too much energy of coun-
tenance and expreffion. He ftill maintained, from fome confider-
ations of health, or abftinence, his former habits of taking his repafts
alone ; and this inhofpitable cuftom 4S, which his enemies imputed to
pride, contributed, at leaft, to nourifh the infirmity of a morofe and
unfocial humour. Separated from that familiar intercourfe, which

44 Sozomer., and more efpecially Socra- ferioufly defends the archbifhop. i. He never

tes, have defined the real character of Chry- tafted wine, z. The weaknefs of his itomach

foflom with a temperate and impartial free- required a peculiar diet. 3. Bufinefs, or flu-

dom, very offenfive to his blind admirers, dy, or devotion, often kept him falling till

Thofe hiitorians lived in the next generation, fun-fet. 4. He deteited the noife and levity

when party violence was abated, and had of great dinners. 5. He faved the expence

converfed with many perfons intimately ac- for the ufe of the poor. 6. He was appre-

quainted with the virtues and imperfections henfive, in a capital like Conftaatinop'le, of

of the faint. the envy and reproach of partial invita-

-4* Palladius (torn. xiii. p. 40, Sec.) very tions.

facilitates

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

facilitates the knowledge and the difpatch of bun n eft, lie repofed an CX")^1P•
unfufpecting confidence in his deacon Serapion ; and feldom applied v— . -„ — -J
his fpeculative knowledge of human nature to the particular cha-
racters, either of his dependents, or of his equals. Confcious of the
purity of his intentions, and perhaps of the fuperiority of his genius,
the archbifhop of Conftantinople extended the jurifdiction of the
Imperial city, that he might enlarge the fphere of his paftoral
labours ; and the conduct which the profane imputed to an am-
bitious motive, appeared to Chryfoftom himfelf in the light of a
facred and indifpenfable duty. In his vifitation through the Afiatic
provinces, he depofed thirteen bilhops of Lydia and Phrygia ; and
indifcreetly declared, that a deep corruption of fimony and licen-
tioufnefs had infected the whole epifcopal order 46. If thofe bifhops
were innocent, fuch a ram and unjuft condemnation muft excite a
well-grounded difcontent. If they were guilty, the numerous af-
fociates of their guilt would foon difcover, that their oWn fafety
depended on the ruin of the archbifhop ; whom they ftudied to
reprefent as the tyrant of the Eaftern church.

This ecclefiaftical confpiracy was managed by Theophilus +7, arch- Chryfoftom
bifhop of Alexandria, an active and ambitious prelate, who difplayed b/th/em-
the fruits of rapine in monuments of oftentation. His national dif- docia,Eu~
like to the rifmg greatnefs of a city, which degraded him from the A- D* 403 '
fecond, to the third, rank, in the Chriftian world, was exafperated
by fome perfonal difputes with Chryfoftom himfelf48. By the pri-
vate invitation of the emprefs, Theophilus landed at Conftantinople,

46 Chryfoftom declares his free opinion which arofe among the monks of Egypt,
(torn. ix. horn. iii. in Aft. Apoftol. p. 29.), concerning Origenifm and Antropomorphifm ;
that the number of bifhops, who might be the diffimulation and violence of Theophilus;
faved, bore a very fmall proportion to thofe his artful management of the fimplicity of
who would be damned. Epiphanius ; the perfecution and flio-ht of

47 See Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. xi. the long, or tall, brothers; the ambiguous
p. 441—500. fupport which they received at Contfanti-

48 I have purpofely omitted the controverfy nople from Chryfoftom, &c. &c.

Vol. III. Rr with

3o6

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, with a flout body of Egyptian mariners, to encounter the populace ;

V.,,-,. - ' and a train of dependent bifhops, to fecure, by their voices, the ma-
jority of a fynod. The fynod 49 was convened in the fuburb of
Chalcedon, furnamed the Oak, where Rufinus had erected a ftately
church and monaftery ; and their proceedings- were continued during
fourteen days, or feffions. A bifhop and a deacon accufed the arch-
bifhop of Conftantinople ; but the frivolous or improbable nature of
the forty-feven articles which they prefented againft him, may
juftly be confidered as a fair and unexceptionable panegyric. Four
fuccefiive fummons were fignified to Chryfoftom ; but he ftill re-
fufed to truft either his perfon, or his reputation, in the hands of
his implacable enemies, who prudently declining the examination of
any particular- charges, condemned his contumacious difobedience,
and haftily pronounced a fentence of depofition. The fynod. of the
Oak immediately addrefled the emperor to ratify and execute thek
judgment, and charitably infinuated, that the penalties of treafon
might be inflicted on the audacious preacher, who had reviled, under
the name of Jezabel, the emprefs Eudoxia herfelf. The archbifhop
was rudely arretted, and conduced through the city, by one of
the Imperial meflengers, who landed him, after a fliort navigation,
near the entrance of the Euxine ; from whence,, before the expira-
tion of two days, he was glorioufly recalled.

Popular tu- The firft aftonimment of his faithful people had been mute and paf-

ftantinop^e.n" nve: tney fuddenly rofe with unanimous and irrefiftible fury. Theo-
philus efcaped ; but the promifcuous crowd of monks and Egyptian
mariners was flaughtered without pity in the ftreets of Conftantinople 5°.

A feafon-

Photius (p. 53—60.) has preferved the tence; See Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. xi.
original a£ls of the fynod of the Oak ; which p. 595.

deftroy the falfe aflertion, that Chryfoftom 50 Palladius owns (p. 30.), that if the
was condemned by no more than thirty-fix people of Conftantinople had found Theo-
biftiops, of whom twenty-nine were Egyp- philus, they would certainly have thrown
tians. Forty-five biihops fubfcribed his fen- him into the fea. Socrates mentions (J. vi.

c 17.)

0$ THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 307

A feafonable earthquake juftified the interpofition of heaven ; the torrent Cx^j^jP'

of fedition rolled forwards to the gates of the palace ; and the emprefs, < , *

agitated by fear, or remorfe, threw herfelf at the feet of Arcadius, and
confeffed, that the public fafety could be purchafed only by the reftora-
tion of Chryfoftom. The Bofphorus was covered with innumerable
vefTels ; the mores of Europe and Afia were profufely illuminated ;
and the acclamations of a victorious people accompanied, from the
port to the cathedral, the triumph of the archbimop ; who, too eafily,
confented to refume the exercife of his functions before his fentence
had been legally reverfed by the authority of an ecclefiaftical fy-
nod. Ignorant, or carelefs, of the impending danger, Chryfoftom
indulged his zeal, or perhaps his refentment ; declaimed with pe-
culiar afperity againft female vices ; and condemned the profane
honours which were addreffed, almoft in the precincts of St. Sophia,
to the ftatue of the emprefs. His imprudence tempted his enemies
to inflame the haughty fpirit of Eudoxia, by reporting, or perhaps
inventing, the famous exordium of a fermon, " Herodias is again
" furious ; Herodias again dances ; me once more requires the head
" of John :" an infolent allufion, which, as a woman and a fove-
reign, it was impoffible for her to forgive 5'. The fhort interval of
a perfidious truce was employed to concert more effectual meafures
for the difgrace and ruin of the archbimop. A numerous council
.of the Eaftern prelates, who were guided from a diftance by the ad-
vice of Theophilus, confirmed the validity, without examining the
juftice, of the former fentence j and a detachment ©f Barbarian

<. 17.) a battle between the mob and the s> See Socrates, L vi. c. 18. Sozomen,

failors of Alexandria, in which many wounds L viii> c> 2Q> Zofimus (1 y j

were given, and fome lives were loft. The . , , . .

(r ci. 1 • .r j , u mentions, in general terms, his invechves

maliacre or the monks is obferved only by . ?

the Pagan Zofimus (1. v. p. 324.), who ac- aSamft El,dox,a- The homiIy> which be*

knowledges that Chryfoftom had a fingular ta- Sim Wlth thofe famous words> is "jetted as

lent to lead the illiterate multitude, n> yap 0 *Pu»°us. Montfaucon, torn. xiii. p. 151.

«>9^tt65 utoyot o%>>it mxycryiTSat huof, Tilleraont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. xi. p. 603.

R r 2 troops

308

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c J££TP* troops was introduced into the city, to fupprefs the emotions of the
-u- people. On the vigil of Eafter, the folemn adminiftration of bap-
• tifin was rudely interrupted by the foldiers, who alarmed the mo-
defty of the naked catechumens, and violated, by their prefence, the
awful myfteries of the Chriftian worfhip. Arfacius occupied the
church of St. Sophia, and the archiepifcopal throne. The catholics
retreated to the baths of Conftantine, and afterwards to the fields :
where they were ftill purfued and infulted by the guards, the bifhops,
and the magiftrates. The fatal day of the fecond and final exile of
Chryfoftom was marked by the conflagration of the cathedral, of
the fenate-houfe, and of the adjacent buildings ; and this calamity
was imputed, without proof, but not without probability, to the
defpair of a perfecuted faction !\
Exile of Cicero might claim fome merit, if his voluntary banifhment pre-

A^D^o™' ferved the peace of the republic 53 ; but the fubmiffion of Chryfoftom
June 20. was the indifpenfable duty of a Chriftian and a fubjec"t. Inftead of
liftening to his humble prayer, that he might be permitted to refide
at Cyzicus, or Nicomedia, the inflexible emprefs affigned for his
exile the remote and defolate town of Cucufus, among the ridges of
Mount Taurus, in the Leffer Armenia. A fecret hope was entertain-
ed, that the archbifhop might perifh in a difficult and dangerous
march of feventy days in the heat of fummer, through the provinces
of Afia Minor, where he was continually threatened by the hoftile
attacks of the Ifaurians, and the more implacable fury of the monks.
Yet Chryfoftom arrived in fafety at the place of his confinement ;
and the three years, which he fpent at Cucufus, and: the neighbour-

!i We might naturally expeft fuch a
charge from Zofimus (1. v. p. 327.) ; but it
is remarkable enough, that it mould be con-
firmed by Socrates, 1. vi. c. 18. and the Paf-
chal Chronicle, p. 307.

53 He difplays thofe fpecious motives (Poft
Reditum, c. 13, 14.) in the language of an

orator and a politician.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

ing town of Arabiflus, were the Iaft and mod glorious of his life. ^Ji^.^*

His character was confecrated by abfence and perfecution ; the faults <

of his adminiftration were no longer remembered ; but every tongue
repeated the praifes of his genius and virtue : and the refpe&ful at-
tention of the Chriftian world was fixed on a defert fpot among the
mountains of Taurus. From that folitude, the archbifhop, whofe
active mind was invigorated by misfortunes, maintained a ftriet and
frequent correfpondence 54 with the moft diftant provinces ; exhorted
the feparate congregation of his faithful adherents to perfevere in
their allegiance ; urged the deftruftion of the temples of Phoenicia,
and the extirpation of herefy in the ifle of Cyprus ; extended his
paftoral care to the millions of Perfia and Scythia ; negociated, by
his ambaffadors, with the Roman pontiff, and the emperor Hono-
rius ; and boldly appealed, from a partial fynod, to the fupreme tri-
bunal of a free and general council. The mind of the illuftrious
exile was ftill independent ; but his captive body was expofed to the
revenge of the oppreflbrs, who continued to abufe the name and
authority of Arcadius 5S. An order was difpached for the inftant re-
moval of Chryfoftom to the extreme defert of Pityus ; and his guards
fo faithfully obeyed their cruel inftructions, that, before he reached
the fea-coaft of the Euxine, he expired at Comana, in Pontus, in H5s death,
the fixtieth year of his age. The fucceeding generation acknow-

September 14.

!+ Two hundred and forty- two of the epif- nitatis, facrilegorum principem, immundum
ties of Chryfoftom are ftill extant (Opera, daemonem ; he affirms, that John Chryfoftom
torn. iii. p. 528 — 736.). They are add refled. had delivered his foul to be adulterated by
to a great variety of perfons, and lhew a the devil ; and wifhes that fome farther pu-
firmnefs of mind, much fuperior to that of nifhment, adequate (if poffible) to the mag-
Cicero in his exile. The fourteenth epiftle nitude of his crime?, may be infiifted on him.
contains a curious narrative of the dangers of St. Jerom, at the requeft of Ms friend Theo-
his journey. , philus, transited this edifying performance

55 After the exile of Chryfoftom, Theo- from Greek into Latin. See Facundus Her-
philus publilhed an enormous and horrible vo- mian. Defenf. pro iii Capitol. 1. vi. c. 5.
lume againft him, in which he perpetually publilhed by Sirmond. Opera, torn. ii. p..
repeats the polite expreffions of hollemhuma- 595, 536, 597.

ledged

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XXXII.
v „ /

His relics
tranfported
to Conftan-
tinople,
A. D. 438,
January 27.

The death of
Arcadius,
A. D. 4C8,
May 1.

kdged his innocence and merit. The archbifhops of the Eaft, who
might blufh, that their predeceflbrs had been the enemies of Chryfof-
tom, were gradually difpofed, by the firmnefs of the Roman pontiff,
to reftore the honours of that venerable name sS. At the pious
folicitation of the clergy and people of Conftantinople, his relics,
thirty years after his death, were tranfported from their obfcure
fepulchre to the royal city 5T. The emperor Theodofius advanced to
receive them as far as Chalcedon ; and, falling proftrate on the coffin,
implored, in the name of his guilty parents, Arcadius and Eudoxia,
the forgivenefs of the injured faint 5\

Yet a reafonable doubt may be entertained, whether any ilain of
hereditary guilt could be derived from Arcadius to his fucceffor.
Eudoxia was a young and beautiful woman, who indulged her
paffions, and defpifed her hufband: Count John enjoyed, at leaft,
the familiar confidence of the emprefs ; and the public named him
as the real father of Theodofius the younger 59. The birth of a fon
was accepted, however, by the pious hufband, as an event the moft
fortunate and honourable to himfelf, to his family, and to the eaftern
world : and the royal infant, by an unprecedented favour, was in-
verted with the titles of Caefar and Auguftus. In lefs than four years

56 His name was infertcd by his fucceffor
Atticus in the Dyptics of the church of Con-
ftantinople, A. D. 418. Ten years after-
wards he was revered as a faint. Cyril, who
inherited the place, and the paffions, of his
uncle Theophilus, yielded with much reluc-
tance. See Facund. Hermian. 1. iv. c. I.
Tillemont.Mem.Ecclef. torn. xiv.p. 277 — 283.

57 Socrates, 1. vii. c. 45. Theodoret, 1. v. c.
36. This event reconciled the Joannites, who
had hitherto refufed to acknowledge his fuc-
ceffors. During his lifetime, the Joannites
were refpefted by the catholics, as the true
and orthodox cemmunion of Conftantinople.
Their obftinacy gradually drove them to tie
brink of fchifm.

58 According to fome accounts (Baronius,
Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 438. N° 9, 10.), the
emperor was forced to fend a letter of invita-
tion and excufes, before the body of the ce-
remonious faint could be moved from Co-
mana.

39 Zofimus, I. v. p. 315. The chaftity of
an emprefs fhould not be impeached without
producing a witnefs; but it is aftonifhing,
that the witnefs fhould write and live under a
prince, whofe legitimacy he dared to attack.
We muft fuppofe that his hiftory was a party
libel, privately read and circulated by the
Pagans. Tillemont (Hift. des Empereurs,
torn. v. p. 782.) is not averfe to brand tfce
reputation of Eudocia.

afterwards,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

.afterwards, Eudoxia, in the bloom of youth, . was deftroyed by the CxI^jfIIP*
confequences of a mifcarriage ; and this untimely death confounded v.
the prophecy of a holy bifhop 6°, who, amidft the univerfal joy,
had ventured to foretel, that fhe mould behold the long and aufpi-
cious reign of her glorious fon. The catholics applauded the juftice
of heaven, which avenged the perfecution of St. Chryfoftom ; and
perhaps the emperor was the only perfon who fincerely bewailed the
iofs of the haughty and rapacious Eudoxia. Such a domeftic mif-
fortune afflicted him. more deeply than the public calamities of the
Eaft 61 ; the licentious excurfions, from Pontus to Paleftine, of the
Ifaurian robbers, whofe impunity accufed the weaknefs of the go-
vernment ; and the earthquakes, the conflagrations, .the famine, and
the flights of locufts which the popular difcontent was equally
difpofed to. attribute to the incapacity , of the monarch. At length,
in the thirty-firft year of his age, after a reign (if we may abufe that
word) of thirteen years, three months, and fifteen days, Arcadiirs
expired in the palace of Constantinople. It is impoffible to deli-
neate his character ; fince, in a period very copioufly furnifhed with
hiftorical materials, it has not . been poflible to remark one action
that properly belongs to the fon of the great Theodofius. .

The historian Procopius6J has indeed illuminated the mind of the Hfe fappefed
dying emperor with a ray of human prudence, or celestial wifdom, ceI*ament*
Arcadius considered, with anxious forefight, the helplefs condition
of his fon Theodofius, who was no more than feven years of age,

60 Porphyry of Gaza. His zeal was tranf- 61 Jerom (torn. vi. p. 73. 76.) defcribey,
ported by the order which he had obtained in lively colours, the regular and destructive
for the deltruction of eight Pagan temples of march of the locufts, which fpread a dark cloud,
that city. See the-curious details of his life between heaven and earth, over the land of
(Baronius, A. D. 401. N° 17 — 5 1.) original- Paleftine. Seafonable winds fcattered them,
ly written in Greek, or perhaps in Syriac, partly into the Dead Sea, and partly into the
by a monk, one of his favourite deacons. Mediterranean.

61 Philoftorg. 1. xi. c. 8. and Godefroy, 63 Procopius, deBell. P«rfic. 1. i. c. 2.p.S
Diftertat. p. 457. edit. Louvre.

6 the

3I2

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. the dangerous factions of a minority, and the afpiring fpirit of

A. A All.

\- ~t ' Jezdegerd, the Perfian monarch. Infcead of tempting the allegiance

of an ambitious fubjeeT, by the participation of fupreme power, he
boldly appealed to the magnanimity of a king ; and placed, by a folemn
teftament, the fceptre of the Eaft in the hands of Jezdegerd himfelf.
The royal guardian accepted and difcharged this honourable truft
with unexampled fidelity ; and the infancy of Theodofms was
protected by the arms and councils of Perfia. Such is the fingular
narrative of Procopius ; and his veracity is not difputed by Agathias 6+,
while he prefumes to diffent from his judgment, and to arraign the
wifdom of a Ghriftian emperor, who, fo ralhly, though fo fortunate-
ly, committed his fon and his dominions to the unknown faith of a
ftranger, a rival, and a heathen. At the diftance of one hundred and
fifty years, this political queftion might be debated in the court of
Juftinian ; but a prudent hiftorian will refufe to examine the propriety,
till he has afcertained the truth^ of the teftament of Arcadius. As
it ftands without a parallel in the hiftory of the world, we may
juftly require, that it mould be attefted by the pofitive and un-
animous evidence of contemporaries. The ftrange novelty of the event,
which excites our diftruft, muft have attracted their notice ; and their
univerfal filence annihilates the vain tradition of the fucceeding age.

Admlniftra- The maxims of Roman jurifprudence, if they could fairly be tranf-

tion of An- ...... ..

themius, ferred from private property to public dominion, would have adjudged
A.D. 408— ^ ^ emperor Honorius the guardianship of his nephew, till he
had attained, at leaft, the fourteenth year of his age. But the weak-
ness of Honorius, and the calamities of his reign, difqualified him
from profecuting this natural claim ; and fuch was the abfolute fepa-

6+ Agathias, 1. p. 1 -;6, 137. Although very fenfibly oh the merits of this fable. His

he confefles the prevalence of the tradition, criticifm was not warped by any ecclefiaftical

he afferts, that Procopius was the firft who authority: both Procopius and Agathias are

had committ d it to writing. Tillemont half Pagans.
(Hilt, des Empcreiirs, torn. vi. p. 597-) argues

3 ration

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

ration of the two monarchies, both in intereft and affection, that
Conftantinople would have obeyed, with lefs reluctance, the orders
of the Perfian, than thofe of the Italian, court. Under a prince,
whofe weaknefs is difguifed by the external figns of manhood and dis-
cretion, the moft worthlefs favourites may fecretly difpute the empire
of the palace ; and dictate to fubmiffive provinces, the commands of
a mafter, whom they direct and defpife. But the minifte: s of a
child, who is incapable of arming them with the ian&ion of the
royal name, muft acquire and exercife an independent authority.
The great officers of the ftate and army, who had been appointed
before the death of Arcadius, formed an ariftocracy, which might have
infpired them with the idea of a free republic ; and the government
of the eaftern empire was fortunately affumed by the prsefect An-
themius 6s, who obtained, by his fuperior abilities, a Lifting afcend-
ant over the minds of his equals. The fafety of the young emperor
proved the merit and integrity of Anthemius ; and his prudent firm-
nefs fuftained the force and reputation of an infant reign. Uldin,
with a formidable hoft of Barbarians, was encamped in the heart
of Thrace : he proudly rejected all terms of accommodation ; 'and,
pointing to the rifmg fun, declared to the Roman ambafladors, that
the courfe of that planet mould alone terminate the conquefts of the
Huns. But the defertion of his confederates, who were privately
convinced of the juftice and liberality of the Imperial mtnifters,
obliged Uldin to repafs the Danube : the tribe of the Scyrri, which
compofed his rear-guard, was almoft extirpated ; and many thou-
fund captives were difperfed, to cultivate, with fervile labour, the

65 Socrates, 1. vii. c. I. Anthemius was Pranorian prxfcft of the Eaft, in the year 40? ;

the grandfon of Philip, one of the minifters of and held the prrefe&ure about ten years. See

Conrtantius, and the grandfather of the em- his honours and praifes in Godefroy, Cod.

peror Anthemius. After his return from the Theod. torn. vi. p. 350. Tillemcnr, Hi!t.

Perfian embaffy, he was appointed conful and des Emp. torn. vi. p. 1, &c

Vol. III.

fields

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXXII.

Character
and admini-
stration of
Pulcheria,
A. D. 414-
453-

fields of Afia 66. In the midft of the public triumph, Conftantinople
was protected by a ftrong inclofurc of new and more extenfive walls ;
the fame vigilant care was applied to reftore the fortifications of the
Ulyrian cities ; and a plan was judicioufly conceived, which, in the
fpace of fevcn years, would have fecured the command of the Da-
nube, by eftablilhing on that river a perpetual fleet of two hundred
and lifty armed veffels 61 .

But the Romans had fo long been accuftomed to the authority of a
monarch, that the firft, even among the females, of the Imperial
family, who difplayed any courage or capacity, was permitted to
afcend the vacant throne of Theodofius. His filter Pulcheria 68, who
was only two years older than himfelf, received, at the age of fix-
teen, the title of Augujia ; and though her favour might be fome-
times clouded by caprice or intrigue, fhe continued to govern the
Eaftern empire near forty years ; during the long minority of her
brother, and after his death, in her own name, and in the name of
Marcian, her nominal hufband. From a motive, either of pru-
dence, or religion, fhe embraced a life of celibacy ; and notwith-
ftandiifg fome afperfions on the chaftity of Pulcheria 69, this refolu-
tion, which fixe communicated to her fifters Arcadia and Marina,
was celebrated by the Chriftian world, as the fublime effort of heroic
piety. In the prefence of the clergy and people, the three daughters,
of Arcadius 70 dedicated their virginity to God j and the obligation

66 Sozomen, 1. be. c. 5. He faw fome rate article to the honour of St. Pulcheria,
Scyrri at work near Mount Olympus, in Bi- virgin, and emprefs.

thynia, and cherilhcd the viin hope that thofe 69 Suidas (Excerpta, p. 68. in Script. By-
captives were the lait of the nation. zant.) pretends, on the credit of the Neflo-

67 Cod. Theod. 1. vii. tit. ivii. 1. xv. tit. i. rians, that Pulcheria was exafperated againft
leg. 49. their founder, becaufe he cenfured her con-

68 Sozomon has filled three chapters with a neflion with the beautiful Paulinus, and her
magnificent panegyric of Pulcheria (1. ix. c. 1, inceft with her brother Theodofius.

2., 3.) ; and Tillemont (Memoires Ecclef. 70 See Ducange, Famil. Byzantin. p. 70..
torn. xv. p. 171— 184.) has dedicated a fepa- Flaccilla, the eldeft daughter, either died

before

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

2*5

of their folemn vow was infcribed on a tablet of gold and gems ; C IT A P.

XXX II

which they publicly offered in the great church of Conftantinople. -v— -<
Their palace was converted into a monaftery ; and all males, except
the guides of their confcience, the faints who had forgotten the
difl.inc~t.ion of fexes, were fcrupuloufly excluded from the holy
threfhold. Pulcheria, her two fitters, and a chofen train of favourite
damfels, formed a religious community : they renounced the vanity
of drefs ; interrupted, by frequent falls, - their ample and frugal diet ;
allotted a portion of their time to works of embroidery ; and de-
voted feveral hours of the day and night to the exercifes of prayer
and pfalmody. The piety of a Chriftian virgin was adorned by the
zeal and liberality of an emprcfs. Ecclefiaftical hiflory defcribes
the fplendid churches, which were built at the expence of Pul-
cheria, in all the provinces of the Earl ; her charitable foun-
dations for the benefit of ftrangers and the poor ; the ample dona-
tions which fhe afligned for the perpetual maintenance of monaflic
focieties ; and the active feverity with which fhe laboured to fupprefs
the oppofite herehes of Neftorius and Eutyches. Such virtues were
fuppofed to deferve the peculiar favour of the Deity ; and the relics of
martyrs, as well as the knowledge of future events, were communi-
cated in vifions and revelations to the Imperial faint 7\ Yet the
devotion of Pulcheria never diverted her indefatigable attention from
temporal affairs ; and fhe alone, among all the defendants of the
great Theodofius, appears to have inherited any fhare of his manly

before Arcadius, or, if Jhe lived till the year Macedonian monks, and to a church of St.

4.31 (Marcellin. Chron.), fomc defect ofmind Thyrfus, erected by Cajfarius, who was conful

or body muft have excluded her from the A. D. 397 ; and the memory of the relics

honours of her rank. was almoft obliterated. Notwithftanding the

31 She wasadmoniihed, byrepeatcd dreams, charitable wifhes of Dr. Jonin (Remarks,

of the place where the relics of the forty mar- torn. iv. p. 234.), it is not eafy to acquit

tyrs had been buried. The ground had fuccef- Pulcheria of fome fnare in the pious fraud;

finely belonged to the houfe and garden of a which mull have been tranfacted, when fhe

woman of Conftantinople, to a monaftery of was more than five-and- thirty years of age.

S f 2 fpirit

THE DECLINE AND FALL

e4vuP' fip'ir^ ail(^ abilities. The elegant and familiar life which {he had ac-

» 1 ' quired, both of the Greek and Latin languages, was readily applied

to the various occafions of fpeaking, or writing, on public bufmefs ;
her deliberations were maturely weighed ; her actions were prompt
and decifive ; and, while fhe moved without noife or orientation the
wheel of government, fhe difcreetly attributed to the genius of the
emperor, the long tranquillity of his reign. In the laft years of his
peaceful life, Europe was indeed afflicted by the arms of Attila;
but the more extenfive provinces of Afia ftill continued to enjoy
a profound and permanent repofe. Theodofius the younger was
never reduced to the difgraceful necefhty of encountering and punifh-
ing a rebellious fubjecl: : and fince we cannot applaud the vigour,
fome praife may be due to the mildnefs, and profperity, of the ad-
miniftration of Pulcheria.
rtion The Roman world was deeply interefted in the education of its
of Theodo- mafter. A regular courfe of ftudy and exercife was judicioufly in-
voune«r ftituted ; of the military exercifes of riding, and (hooting with the
bow ; of the* liberal ftudies of grammar, rhetoric, and philofophy :
the moft fkilful mafters of the Eaft ambitioufly folicited the attention,
of their royal pupil ; and feveral noble youths were introduced into
the palace, to animate his diligence by the emulation of friendmip..
Pulcheria alone difcharged the important tafk of inftruc"ting her bro-
ther in the arts of government ; but her precepts may countenance
fome fufpicion of the extent of her capacity, or of the purity of her
intentions. She taught him to maintain a grave and majeftic de-
portment ; to walk, to hold his robes, to feat himfelf on his throne,
in a manner worthy of a great prince ; to abftain from laughter; to
liften with condefcenfion ; to return fuitable anfwers ; to alfume, by
turns, a ferious or a placid countenance ; in a word, to reprefent
with grace and dignity the external figure of a Roman emperor. But

Theodofius

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

Theodofius 71 was never excited to fupport the weight and glory of QJl.}\{
an illuftrious name ; and, inflead of afpiring to imitate his anccftor.% v-
he degenerated (if we may prefuine to meafure the degrees of inca-
pacity) below the weaknefs of his father and his uncle. Arcadius
and Honorius had been aftifted by the guardian care of a parent,
whofe leflbns were enforced by his authority, and example. But
the unfortunate prince, who is born in the purple, muft remain a
ftranger to the voice of truth ; and the fon of Arcadius was con-
demned to pafs his perpetual infancy, encompafTed only by a fervile
train of women and eunuchs. The ample leifure, which he ac-
quired by neglecting the efTential duties of his high office, was filled
by idle amufements, and unprofitable ftudies. Hunting was the
only active purfuit that could tempt him beyond the limits of
the palace ; but he moll affiduoufly laboured, fometimes by the
light of a midnight lamp, in the mechanic occupations of paint-
ing and carving ; and the elegance with which he tranferibed reli-
gious books, entitled the Roman emperor to the fingular epithet of
Calligraphes, or a fair writer. Separated from the world by an im-
penetrable veil, Theodofius trufted the perfons whom he loved ; he
loved thofe who were accuftomed to amufe and flatter his indolence ;
and as he never perufed the papers that were prefented for the royal
fignature, the acts of injuftice the moft repugnant to his character,
were frequently perpetrated in his name. The emperor himfelf was
chafte, temperate, liberal, and merciful ; but thefe qualities, which

71 There is a remarkable difference be- his Mer (1. vii. c. 22. 42.). Philoftorgius

tween the two ecclefiaftical hiftorians, who (1. xii. c. 7.) exprefles the influence of Pul-

in general bear fo clofe a refemblance. So- cheria in gentle and courtly language, r*$

zomen (1. ix. c. 1.) afcribes to Pulcheria the (3acr»A<xac ar^uao-m; vTzr^i-rHu.-^ *«i hevQomffcc.

government of the empire, and the education Suidas (Excerpt, p. 53.) gives a true charac-

of her brother ; whom he fcarcely conde- ter of Theodofius ; and I have followed the

fcends to praife. Socrates, though he af- example of Tillemont (torn. vi. p. 25.), in

feftedly difclaims all hopes of favour or fame, borrowing fome ftrokes from the modern

compofes an elaborate panegyric on the em- Greeks,
peror, and cautioufly fuppreffes the merits of,

I can:

3iS

THE. DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXXII.

Characler
and adven-
tures of the
cmprefi Eu-
docia,

A. D. 42 1 —

460.

can only deferve the name of virtues, when they are fupportcd by
courage, and regulated by difcretion, were feldom beneficial, and
they fometimes proved mifchievous, to mankind. His mind, ener-
vated by a royal education, was opprefled, and degraded, by abject
fuperftition : he faded, he fung pfalms, he blindly accepted the mi-
racles and doctrines, with which his faith was continually nourimed.
Theodofius devoutly worfhipped the dead and living faints of the
Catholic church ; and he once refufed to eat, till an infolent monk,
who had cart an excommunication on his fovereign, condefcended to
heal the fpiritual wound which he had inflicted

The ftory of a fair and virtuous maiden, exalted from a private
condition to the Imperial throne, might be deemed an incredible
romance, if fuch a romance had not been verified in the marriage of
Theodofius. The celebrated Athenais74 was educated by her father
Leontius in the religion and fciences of the Greeks; and fo advan-
tageous was the opinion which the Athenian philofopher entertained
of his contemporaries, that he divided his patrimony between his
two Ions, bequeathing to his daughter a fmall legacy of one hun-
dred pieces of gold, in the lively confidence that her beauty and
merit would be a fufficient portion. The jealoufy and avarice of her
brothers foon compelled Athenais to feek a refuge at Conftantinople ;
and, with fome hopes, either of juftice, or favour, to throw herfelf
at the feet of Pulcheria. That fagacious princefs liftened to her elo-

» Thcodoret, 3. v. c. 57. The bifhop of
Cvrrhus, cne of the firft men of his ?.£e for
his learning and piety, apphuds the obedience
of Tneodofios to the divine laws.

7* Socrites M. vii. c. 21.) mentions her
name (Athenais, the daughter of Leontius,
an Athenian fophift), her b.iptifm, marri.-^e,
and poetical genius. The moft ancient ac-
count of her hiftory is in John Malala
(part ii. p. 20, 21. edit. Verier. 173?), and
jin the Pufchal Chronicle (p. 1 1 , 312.).

Thofe authors had probably feen original
pictures of the emptefs Kudocia. The mo-
dern Greeks, Zonaras, Cedrenus, &c. have
difplayed the love,, rather than the talent, of
fiction. From Nicephorus, indeed, I have
ventured to aflame her p.ge. '1 he writer of
a romance would not have imagined^ that
Athenais was near twenty-eight years old
when fhe infLmeil the heart cf a young em-
peror.

quent

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

quent complaint ; and fecretly deftined the daughter of the philofo-
pher Leontius for the future wife of the emperor of the Eaft, who
had now attained the twentieth year of his age. She eafily excited
the curiofitv of her brother, by an interefting picture of the charms
of Aihenais ; large eyes, a well-proportioned nofe, a fair complexion,
golden locks, a (lender perfcn, a graceful demeanour, an under-
standing improved by ftudy, and a virtue tried by diftrefs. Theo-
dofius, concealed behind a curtain in the apartment of his filler, was
permitted to behold the Athenian virgin : the modeft youth imme-
diately declared his pure and honourable love ; and the royal nup-
tials were celebrated amidft- the acclamations of the capital and the
provinces. A-thenais, who was eafily perfuaded to renounce the
errors of Paganifm, received at- her baptifm the Chriftian name of
Eudocia; "but the cautious Pulcheria withheld the title of Augufta,
till the wife of Theodofius had approved her fruitfulnefs by the birth
of a daughter, who efpoufed, fifteen years afterwards, the emperor
of the Weft. The brothers of Eudocia obeyed, with fome anxiety,
her Imperial fummons ; but, as fhe could eafily forgive their for-
tunate unkindnefs, me indulged the tendernefs, or perhaps the vanity",
of a filter, by promoting them to the rank of confuls and prsefects.
In the luxury of the palace, Ihe ftill cultivated thofe ingenuous arts,
which had contributed to her greatnefs ; and wifely dedicated her
talents to the honour of religion, and of her hufband. Eudocia
i compofed a poetical paraphrafe of the firft eight books of the Old
Teftament, and of the prophecies of Daniel and Zachariah ; a cento
of the verfes of Homer, applied to the life and miracles of Chrift,
the legend of St. Cyprian, and a panegyric on the Perfian victories
of Theodofius : and her writings, which were applauded by a fervile
and fuperftitious age, have not been difdained by the candour of im-
partial criticifm The fondnefs of the emperor was not abated by

time

75 Socrates, l.vii. c. 21. Photius, p. 413 and has been repeatedly printed; but the
— 420. The Homeric cento is ftill extant, claim of Eudocia to that infipid performance

:20

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C HAP. time and poffeflion ; and Eudocia, after the marriage of her daugh-
» — f ,ter, was permitted to difcharge her grateful vows by a folemn pil-
grimage to Jerufalem. Her oftentatious progrefs through the Earl may
ieem inconfiflent with the fpirit of Chriftian humility : lhe pro-
nounced, from a throne of gold and gems, an eloquent oration to
the fenate of Antioch, declared her royal intention of enlarging the
walls of the city, bellowed a donative of two hundred pounds of
gold to reftore the public baths, and accepted the ftatues, which were
decreed by the gratitude of Antioch. In the Holy Land, her alms
and pious foundations exceeded the munificence of the great He-
lena ; and though the public treafure might be impoverifhed by this
exceffive liberality, fhe enjoyed the confcious fatisfaction of return-
ing to Constantinople with the chains of St. Peter, the right arm of
St. Stephen, and an undoubted picture of the Virgin, painted by
St. Luke 7(>. But this pilgrimage was the fatal term of the glories of
Eudocia. Satiated with empty pomp, and unmindful, perhaps, of
rier obligations to Pulcheria, fhe ambitioufly afpired to the government
of the Eaftern empire : the palace was diftracted by female difcord ;
but the victory was at laft decided, by the fuperior afcendant of the
lifter of Theodofius. The execution of Paulinus, mailer of the of-
fices, and the difgrace of Cyrus, Praetorian prefect of the Eaft, con-
vinced the public, that the favour of Eudocia was infufficient to pro-
tect her mod faithful friends ; and the uncommon beauty of Pauli-
nus encouraged the fecret rumour, that his guilt was that of a luccefsful
lover77. As foon as the emprefs perceived that the affection of The-

is difputed by the critics. See Fabricius, 77 In this lhort view of the difgrace of

Biblioth. Grxc. torn. i. p. 357. The Ionia, Eudocia, I have imitated the caution of Eva-

a mifcelLneous dictionary of hiitory and griuj (, ; c 2J j> and count Marcellinus

fable, was compiled by another emprefs of , Chron_ A> D and y Thc WQ

thenameofEudocia.whohvedin theeleventh ... „■ . . . .

. . . . „.,. . authentic dates alli^ned by the latter, over-

ccnturv; and the work is ftill extant in ma- ° ' - .

nufcript turn a Sreat Part °^ tne Greek f.clions ; and

76 Baronius (Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 438, ^ celebrated ftory of the apple, kc. is fit

439.) is copious and florid ; but he is accufed only for the Arabian Nights, where fome-

of placing the lies of different ages on the thing not very unlike it may be found.

fame level of authenticity.

odofius

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 321

odofius was Irretrievably loft, flie requefted the permimon of retiring Cx^xAf P'

to the diftant lolitude of Jerufalem. She obtained her requeft ; but 1 * '

the jealoufy of Theodofms, or the vindictive fpirit of Pulcheria,
purfued her in her lalt retreat ; and Saturninus, count of the do-
meftics, was directed to punifh with death two ecclefiaftics, her
raoft favoured fervants. Eudocia inftantly revenged them by the
affaffination of the count : the furious paflions, which me indulged
on this fufpicious occafion, feemed to juftify the feverity of Theodo-
fms ; and the emprefs, ignominioufly ftript of the honours of her
rank 78, was difgraced, perhaps unjuftly, in the eyes of the world.
The remainder of the life of Eudocia, about frxtecn years, was fpent
in exile and devotion ; and the approach of age, the death of Theo-
dofms, the misfortunes cf her only daughter, who was led a captive
from Rome to Carthage, and the fociety of the Holy Monks of
Paleftine, infenfibly confirmed the religious temper of her mind.
After a full experience of the viciffitudes of human life, the daughter
of the philofopher Leontius expired, at Jerufalem, in the fixty-
feventh year of her age ; protefting with her dying breath, that
me had never tranfgrelTed the bounds of innocence and friend-
fhip 79.

The gentle mind of Theodofms was never inflamed by the ambi- The Perfian
tion of conqueft, or military renown; and the flight alarm of a a. D. 42a
Perfian war fcarcely interrupted the tranquillity of the Eaft. The
motives of this war were juft and honourable. In the laft year of
the reign of Jezdegerd, the fuppofed guardian of Theodofms, a

78 Prifcus (in Excerpt. Legat. p. 69.), a Pafchal Chronicle may fometimes deferve
contemporary, and a courtier, dryly men- regard ; and, in the domeftic hiftory of An-
tions her Pagan and Chriftian -names, with- tioch, John Malala becomes a writer of good
out adding any title of honour or refpeft. authority. The Abbe Guenee, in a memoir

79 For the tivo pilgrimages of Eudocia, on the fertility of Paleftine, of which I have
and her long reftdence at Jerufalem, her de- only feen an extract, calculates the gifes of
votion, alms, &c. fee Socrates (1. vii. c. 47.) Eudocia at 20,4.88 pounds of gold, above
and Evagrius (1. i. c. 20, 21, 22.). The 800,000 pounds Sterling.

Vol. HI, T t bifhop,

322

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CxxxilP' kifh°P> wno afpired to the crown of martyrdom, deftroyed one of

< „ ' the fire-temples of Sufa 80. His zeal and obftinacy were revenged on

his brethren : the Magi excited a cruel perfecution ; and the intolerant
zeal of Jezdegerd was imitated by his fon Vararanes, or Bahram, who
foon afterwards afcended the throne. Some Chriftian fugitives, who
efcaped to the Roman frontier, were fternly demanded, and gene-
roully refufed ; and the refufal, aggravated by commercial difputes,
loon kindled a war between the rival monarchies. The mountains of
Armenia, and the plains of Mefopotamia, were filled with hoftile
armies ; but the operations of two fuccefuve campaigns were not
productive of any decifive or memorable events. Some engagements
were fought, lbme towns were befieged, with various and doubtful
fuccefs ; and if the Romans failed in their attempt to recover the
long loft pofTefTion of Nifibis, the Perfians were repulfed from the
walls of a Mefopotamian city, by the valour of a martial bifhop, who
pointed his thundering engine in the name of St. Thomas the Apoftle.
Yet the fplendid victories, which the incredible fpeed of the mef-
fenger Palladius repeatedly announced to the palace of Conftan-
tinople, were celebrated with festivals and panegyrics. From thefe
panegyrics the hiftorians 81 of the age might borrow their extra-
ordinary, and, perhaps, fabulous, tales ; of the proud challenge of a
Perfian hero, who was entangled by the net, and difpatched by the
fword, of Areobindus the Goth ; of the ten thoufand Immortals^
who were flain in the attack of the Roman camp ; and of the hun-
dred thoufand Arabs, or Saracens, who were impelled by a panic
terror to throw themfelves headlong into the Euphrates. Such events

,0 Theodoret, I. v. c. 39. Tillemont, pairing the damage which we have unlaw-

Mem. Ecclef. torn. xii. p. 356 — 364. Af- fully committed.

femanr.i, Bibl. Oriental, torn. iii. p. 396. 81 Socrates (1. vii. c. 18, 19, 20, 21.) »

torn. iv. p. 61. Theodoret blames the rafh- the beft author for the Perfian war. We

nefs of Abdas, but extols the conftancy of may likewife confult the three Chronicles,

his martyrdom. Yet I do not clearly under- the Pafchal, and thofe of Marcelliaus and

ftand the cafuiftry which prohibits our re- Malala.

3 may

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 323

may be difbelieved, or difregarded ; but the charity of a bifhop, CxI^jP'
Acacius of Amida, whofe name might have dignified the faintly ca- < — -v— — '
lendar, mail not be loft in oblivion. Boldly declaring, that vafes of
gold and filver are ufelefs to a God who neither eats nor drinks, the
generous prelate fold the plate of the church of Amida ; employed
the price in the redemption of feven thoufand Perfian captives ;
fupplied their wants with affectionate liberality ; and difmiffed them
to their native country, to inform their king of the true fpirit of the
religion which he perfecuted. The practice of benevolence in the
midft of war muft always tend to affuage the animofity of contending
nations ; and I wifh to perfuade myfelf, that Acacius contributed to
the reftoration of peace. In the conference which was held on the
limits of the two empires, the Roman ambafladors degraded the per-
fonal character of their fovereign, by a vain attempt to magnify the ex-
tent of his power ; when they ferioufly advifed the Perfians to prevent,
by a timely accommodation, the wrath of a monarch, who was yet
ignorant of this diftant war. A truce of one hundred years was
folemnly ratified ; and, although the revolutions of Armenia might
threaten the public tranquillity, the effential conditions of this treaty
were refpected near fourfcore years by the fucceflbrs of Conftantine
and Artaxerxes.

Since the Roman and Parthian ftandards firft encountered on the Armenia di-

banks of the Euphrates, the kingdom of Armenia 82 was alternately l^en the

oppreffed by its formidable protectors ; and, in the courfe of this fhe^RomTn!

Hiftory, feveral events, which inclined the balance of peace and war, a. D. 431—

440.

have been already related. A difgraceful treaty had refigned Arme-

81 This account of the ruin and divifion and contemporary. Procopius (de Edificiis,

of the kingdom of Armenia is taken from 1. Hi. c. i. 5.) relates the fame facts in a very

the third book of the Armenian hiftory of different manner; but I have extracted the

Mofes of Chorene. Deficient as he is in circumftances the moft probable in them-

every qualification of a good hiftorian, his felves, and the leaft inconfiftcnt with Mofes

local information, his paflions, and his pre- of Chorene.
judices, are ftrongly expreffive of a native

T t 2 nia

324

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CXXXilP n*a t0 amkition °^ Sapor > an<^ ^e ^ca^e °f Per^ia appeared to
> preponderate. But the royal race of Arfaces impatiently fubmitted

to the houfe of Saffan ; the turbulent nobles aflerted, or betrayed,
their hereditary independence ; and the nation was ftill attached to
the Chrijllan princes of Conftantinople. In the beginning of the
fifth century, Armenia was divided by the progrefs of war and fac-
tion 83 ; and the unnatural divifion precipitated the downfal of that
ancient monarchy. Chofroes, the Perfian vaffal, reigned over the
Eaftern and raoft extenfive portion of the country ; while the Weft-
era province acknowledged the jurifdiction of Arfaces, and the fu-
premacy of the emperor Arcadius. After the death of Arfaces, the
Romans fuppreffed the regal government, and impofed on their al-
lies the condition of fubjects. The military command was delegated
to the count of the Armenian frontier ; the city of Theodofiopolis '**
was built and fortified in a ftrong filiation, on a fertile and lofty
ground, near the fources of the Euphrates ; and the dependent ter-
ritories were ruled by five fatraps,. whofe dignity was marked by a
peculiar habit of gold and purple. The lefs fortunate nobles, who
lamented the lofs of their king, and envied the honours of their
equals, were provoked to negociate their peace and pardon at the
Perfian court ; and returning, with their followers, to the palace of
Artaxata, acknowledged Chofroes for their lawful fovereign, About
thirty years afterwards, Artafires, the nephew and fucceflbr of
Chofroes, feil under the difpleafure of the haughty and capricious

13 The weftern Armenians ufed the Greek event which relaxed the connection of the

language and characters in their religious church and nation with Conftantinople.
offices; but the ufe of that hoftile tongue e* Mofes Choren. 1. iii. c. 59. p. 309.

was prohibited by the Perfians in the eaftetn and p. 358. Procopius, de Edificiis, 1. iii.

provinces, which were obliged to ufe the c. 5. Theodofiopolis ftands, or rather ftood,

Syriac, till the invention of the Armenian about thirty-five miles to the eaft of Arze-

letters by Mefrobes, in the beginning of the roum, the modern capital of Turkilh Arme-

iifth century, and the fubfequent verfion of nia. See d'Anville, Geographic Ancienne,

the Bible into the Armenian language; an torn. ii. p. 99, 100..

nobles

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

nobles of Armenia ; and they unanimously cleared a Perfian go-
vernor in the room of an unworthy king. The anfwer of the arch-
bifhop Ifaac, whofe fanction they earneftly folicitedr is expreffive of
the character of a fuperftitious people. He deplored the manifeft
and inexcufable vices of Artafires ; and declared, that he mould not
hefitate to accufe him before the tribunal of a Chrhtian emperor,
who would punilh, without deftroying, the finner. M Our king,"
continued Ifaac, M is too much addicted to licentious pleafures, but
w he has been purified in the holy waters of baptifm. He is a lover
" of women, but he does not adore the fire or the elements. He
" may deferve the reproach of lewdnefs, but he is an undoubted
" Catholic ; and his faith is pure, though his manners are flagitious.
" I will never confent to abandon my fheep to the rage of devouring
" wolves ; and you would foon repent your rafh exchange of the
" infirmities of a believer, for the fpecious virtues of an heathen 85."
Exafperated by the firmnefs of Ifaac, the factious nobles accufed both
the king and the archbifhop as the fecret adherents of the emperor;
and abfurdly rejoiced in the fentence of condemnation, which, after
a partial hearing, was folemnly pronounced by Bahram himfelf.
The defcendants of Arfaces were degraded from the royal dignity S6r
which they had poflerTed above five hundred and fixty years 87 ; and
the dominions of the unfortunate Artafires, under the new and fig-

35 Mofes Choren. 1. iii. c. 63. p. 316.
According to the inftitution of St. Gregory
the apoftle of Armenia, the archbilhop was
always of the royal family; a circumftance,
which, in fome degree, corrected the in-
fluence of the facerdotal character, and united
the mitre with the crown.

84 A branch of the royal houfe of Arfaces
frill fubfifted, with the rank and pcfleflions
(as it mould feem) of Armenian fatraps. See
Mofes Choren. 1. iii. c. 65. p. 321.

*7 Valarfaces was appointed king of Ar-
menia by his brother the Parthian monarch,

immediately after the defeat of Antiochu?
Sidetes (Mofes Choren. 1. ii. c. 2. p. 85.),
one hundred and thirty years before Chrift.
Without depending on the various and con-
tradictory periods of the reigns of the lafl
kings, we may be aflured, that the ruin of
the Armenian kingdom happened after the
council of Chalcedon, A. D. 431 (1. iii.
c. 61. p. 312.); and under Yeramiu, or
Bahram, king of Perfia (l.iii. c. 64. p. 3 1 7-)»
who reigned from A. D. 420 to 440. See
Aflemanni, Bibliot Oriental, torn. iii. p.
396-

nificant

326

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CXXXIIP' n^cant aPPellati°n of Perfarmenia, were reduced into the form of a
i— ■■„-.— ^ province. This ufurpation excited the jealoufy of the Roman go-
vernment ; but the rifing difputes were foon terminated by an ami-
cable, though unequal, partition of the ancient kingdom of Armenia ;
and a territorial acquifition, which Auguftus might have defpifed,
reflected fome luftre on the declining empire of the younger Theo-
dofius.

CHAP,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

CHAP. XXXIII.

Death of Honor ius — Valentinian III. Emperor of the Eafl.
— Adminifl ration of his Mother Placidia. — JEtius and
Boniface. — Conquefl of Africa by the F anda/s.

DURING a long and difgraceful reign of twenty-eight years, c H A p.
YYYITT
Honorius, emperor of the Weft, was feparated from the friend- ^_ _^

fhip of his brother, and afterwards of his nephew, who reigned over LaJ >'ear,s

* ' * " and death of

the Eaft : and Conftantinople beheld, with apparent indifference and Honorius,

r A. D. 423,

fecretjoy, the calamities of Rome. The ftrange adventures of Pla- Auguftzy,
cidia * gradually renewed, and cemented, the alliance of the two
empires. The daughter of the great Theodofius had been the cap-
tive and the queen of the Goths : fhe loft an affectionate hufband ;
fhe was dragged in chains by his infulting aflaftin ; fhe tafted the
pleafure of revenge, and was exchanged, in the treaty of peace, for
fix hundred thoufand meafures of wheat. After her return from
Spain to Italy, Placidia experienced a new perfecution in the bofom
of her family. She was averfe to a marriage, which had been ftipu-
lated without her confent ; and the brave Conftantius, as a noble re-
ward for the tyrants whom he had vanquiihed, received, from the
hand of Honorius himfelf, the ftruggling and reluctant hand of the
widow of Adolphus. But her refiftance ended with the ceremony
of the nuptials ; nor did Placidia refufe to become the mother of
Honoria and Valentinian the third, or to affume and exercife an ab-
folute dominion over the mind of her grateful hufband. The ge-
nerous foldier, whofe time had hitherto been divided between focial
pleafure and military fervice, was taught new leffons of avarice and

1 See p. 252— 268.

ambition *

THE DECLINE AND FALL

ambition : he extorted the title of Auguftus j and the fervant of
Honorius was affociated to the empire of the Weft. The death of
Conftantius, in the feventh month of his reign, inftead of diminifh-
ing, feemed to increafe, the power of Placidia ; and the indecent
familiarity % of her brother, which might be no more than the fymp-
toms of a childifh affection, were univerfally attributed to inceftuous
love. On a fudden, by fome bafe intrigues of a fteward and a nurfe,
this exceflive fondnefs was converted into an irreconcileable quarrel :
<he debates of the emperor and his fifter were not long confined
within the walls of the palace ; and as the Gothic foldiers adhered
to their queen, the city of Ravenna was agitated with bloody and
dangerous tumults, which could only be appealed by the forced or
voluntary retreat of Placidia and her children. The royal exiles
landed at Conftantinople, foon after the marriage of Theodofius,
during the feftival of the Perfian victories. They were treated with
kindnefs and magnificence ; but as the ftatues of the emperor Con-
ftantius had been rejected by the Eaftern court, the title of Augufta
could not decently be allowed to his widow. Within a few months
after the arrival of Placidia, a fwift meffenger announced the death
of Honorius, the confequence of a dropfy ; but the important fecret
was not divulged, till the necellary orders had been difpatched for
the march of a large body of troops to the fea-coaft of Dalmatia.
The mops and the gates of Conftantinople remained fhut during feven
days ; and the lofs of a foreign prince, who could neither be efteemed
nor regretted, was celebrated with loud and affected demonftrations
of the public grief.

1 Ta an^ti xxrcc ropx (ptXr^arx, is the ex- linguam meam in os ejus. But this fenfual

preflion of Olympiodorus (apud Photium, indulgence was juftified by miracle and

p. 197.); who means, perhaps, to defcribe myftery; and the anecdote has been commu-

the fame carefles which Mahomet bellowed nicated to the public by the Reverend Father

on his daughter Phatemah. Quando (fays Maracci, in his Verfion and Confutation of

the prophet himfelf), quando fubit mihi de- the Koran, torn. i. p. 32.
/iderium Paradifi, ofculor earn, et ingero

6 While

•

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 329

While the minifters of Conftantinople deliberated, the vacant CXxXfnP'
throne of Honorius was ufurped by the ambition of a ftranger. The < — 1

r . Elevation

name of the rebel was John : he filled the confidential office or rri- and fall of
mice?~ius\ or principal fecretary ; and hiftory has attributed to his johnf"^"
character more virtues, than can eafily be reconciled with the viola- A,D> 423—
tion of the raoft facred duty. Elated by the fubmiffion of Italy, and
the hope of an alliance with the Huns, John prefumed to infult, by
an embaffy, the majefty of the Eaftern emperor ; but when he un-
derftood that his agents had been banimed, imprifoned, and at length
chaced away with deferved ignominy, John prepared to aflert, by
arms, the injuftice of his claims. In fuch a caufe, the grandfon of
the great Theodoiius fhould have marched in perfon : but the
young emperor was eafily diverted, by his phyficians, from fo rafh
and hazardous a defign ; and the conduct of the Italian expedition
was prudently entrufted to Ardaburius, and his fon Afpar, who had
already fignalifed their valour againft the Perfians. It was refolved,
that Ardaburius fhould embark with the infantry ; whilft Afpar, at
the head of the cavalry, conducted Placidia, and her fon Valenti-
nian, along the fea-coaft of the Hadriatic. The march of the cavalry
was performed with fuch active diligence, that they furprifed, with-
out refiftance, the important city of Aquileia ; when the hopes of
Afpar were unexpectedly confounded by the intelligence, that a
ftorm had diiperfed the Imperial fleet ; and that his father, with only
two gallies, was taken and carried a prifoner into the port of Ra-
venna. Yet this incident, unfortunate as it might feem, facilitated
the conqueft of Italy. Ardaburius employed, or abufed, the cour-
teous freedom, which he was permitted to enjoy, to revive among
the troops a fenfe of loyalty and gratitude ; and, as foon as the con-
fpiracy was ripe for execution, he invited by private meffages, and
prefTed the approach of, Afpar. A fhepherd, whom the popular
credulity transformed into an angel, guided the Eaftern cavalry, by
Vol. III. U u a iecret,

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CvvvmiP" a ^->crct» lt was thought! an impaflable road, through the

-„ > moralVes of the Po : the gates of Ravenna, after a fliort ftrugglc,

Were thrown open ; and the dcfencelefs tyrant was delivered to the
mercy, or rather to the cruelty, of the conquerors. His right hand,
was firft cut oft"; and, after he had been expofed, mounted on an.
afs, to the public derilion, John was beheaded in the Circus of
Aquilcia. The emperor Theodolius, when he received the news of;
the victory, interrupted the horfe-raccs ; and fmging, as he marched,
through the llreets, a iuitable pfalin, condu&ed his people from the
Hippodrome to the church, where he fpent the remainder of the day
in grateful devotion \

Valenrimau In a monarchy, which, according to various precedents, might be;

111. emperor r . , .... _

or the Wert, coniidercd as elective, or hereditary, or patrimonial, it was impol-

. . 425— tjlat tjic mtrjcatc claims of female and collateral fuccelfton mould

♦SS'

be clearly defined * ; and Theodofius, by the right of confanguinity,
or conqueft, might have reigned the fole legitimate emperor of the-.
Romans. For a moment, perhaps, his eyes were dazzled by the-
prolpecl* of unbounded fway ; but his indolent temper gradually ac—
quieleed in the dictates of found policy. He contented himfelf with;
the pofleffion of the Fall ; and wifely relinquifhed the laborious tafk,
of waging a dillant and doubtful war againft the Barbarians beyond,
the Alps ; or of fecuring the obedience of the Italians and Africans,
whole minds were alienated by the irreconcileable difference of lan-
guage and intcreft. lnilead of liftening to the voice of ambition,,

3 For thefe revolutions of the Weflcrn 4 Sec Grotius tic Jure Belli et Pacis, 1. ii.
empire, confult Olympiodor. apud Phot. c. y. He has laboriou/ly, but vainly, at-
p. 19:, 193. 196, 197. 200. Sozomen, tCmpted to form a reafonable fyilem of jurif-

1. ix. c. 16. Socrates, 1. \ ii. 23, 24. Phi- , c . , ,-r ,

, . , ' 7' j - prudence, from the various and dilcordant

loltoreius, 1. xn. c. 10, 11. and Godefrov, . . . _ .. , , .

, or d , „„ modes ot royal fuccelfion, which have been

Dmertat. p. 4S6. Piocopius, de Bell. Van- ; '

dal. 1. i. c. 3. p. 182, 183. Theophanes, introduced by fraud, or force, by time, or
. in Chronograph, p. 72, 73. and the Chro- accident.

nicies.

Theodofius-

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 331

Theodofius refolved to imitate the moderation of his grandfather, C H a P,

X X /f 1 1 1 ■

and to feat his couiin Valentinian on the throne of the Weft. The » v— *

royal infant was diftinguiihed at Constantinople by the title of Nobi-
lijfimus : he was promoted, before his departure from ThelTalonica,
to the rank and dignity of Cafar ; and, after the conqueft of Ital}-,
the patrician Helion, by the authority of Theodofius, and in the
prefence of the fenate, faluted Valentinian the third by the name tit
Auguftus, and folemnly inverted him with the diadem, and the Im-
perial purple '. By the agreement of the three females who governed
the Roman world, the fon of Placidia was betrothed to Eudoxia,
the daughter of Theodofius and Athenais ; and, as foon as the lovci
and his bride had attained the age of puberty, this honourable al-.
liance was faithfully accomplifhed. At the fame time, as a compen-
fation, perhaps, for the expences of the war, the Weftern Illyricum
was detached from the Italian dominions, and yielded to the throne
of Conftantinople 6. The emperor of the Eaft acquired the ufeful
dominion of the rich and maritime province of Dalmatia, and the
dangerous Sovereignty of Pannonia and Noricum, which had been
filled and ravaged above twenty years, by a promifcuous crowd of
Huns, Oftrogoths, Vandals, and Bavarians. Theodofius and Va-
lentinian continued to refpect the obligations of their public and do-
meftic alliance ; but the unity of the Roman government was finally
diffolved. By a pofitive declaration, the validity of all future laws
was limited to the dominions of their peculiar author ; unlefs he
fhould think proper to communicate them, fubferibed with his own
hand, for the approbation of his independent colleague 1 .

Valentinian,

s The original writers are not agreed de I'Europe, torn. vii. p. 292 — 300.) has
(fee Muratori, Annali d'ltalia, torn. iv. p. eftablilhed the reality, explained the mo-
139.)* whether Valentinian received the Im- tives, and traced the confequences, of this
perial diadem at Rome or Ravenna. In this remarkable cefTion.

uncertainty, I am willing to believe, that 7 See the firft Ntivcl of Theodofius, by
fome refpedl was fhewn to the fenate. which he ratifies and communicates (A. D.

« The count de Buat (Hilt, des Peuples 438.) the Theodofian Code. About forty

U k 2 year?

2 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. Valentinian, when he received the title of Auguftus, was no more

XXXIII.

\ than fix years of age : and his long minority was entrufted to the

tiorTof'his guardian care of a mother, who might aflert a female claim to the
ddk,er P!a" fuccelhon of the Weftern empire. Placidia envied, but flie could
^oD" +25~~ not equal, the reputation and virtues of the wife and fifter of Theo—
dofms; the elegant genius of Eudocia, the wife and fuccefsful policy
of Pulcheria. The mother of Valentinian was jealous of the power,
which fhe was incapable of exercifmg 8 : fhe reigned twenty-five
years, in the name of her fon ; and the character of that unworthy
emperor gradually countenanced the fufpicion, that Placidia had ener-
vated his youth by a dilTolute education, and ftudioufly diverted his
Her two ge- attention from every manly and honourable purfuit. Amidft the
andBontface! decay of military fpirit, her armies were commanded by two ge-
nerals, iEtius 9 and Boniface ,0, who may be defervedly named as
the laft of the Romans. Their union might have fupported a finking-
empire; their difcord was the fatal and immediate caufe of the lofs
of Africa. The invafion and defeat of Attila has immortalized the
fame of iEtius ; and though time has thrown a fhade over the ex-
ploits of his rival, the defence of Marfcelles, and the deliverance of

years before that time, the unity of legifla- froy's Diflertat. p. 493,, &c. ; and Renatus

tion had been proved by an exception. The Frigeridus, apud Gregor. Turon. I. ii. c. 8.

jews, who were numerous in the cities of in torn. ii. p. 163. The father of ^Etius

Apulia and Calabria, produced a law of the was Gaudentius, an illuftrious citizen of the

Eaft to juftify their exemption from munici- province of Scythia, and matter-general of

pal offices (Cod. Theod. 1. xvi. tit. viii. the cavalry : his mother was a rich and noble

leg- 1 3 •) > and the Weftern emperor was Italian.. From his earlieft youth, IEtius, as

obliged to invalidate, by a fpecial edict, the a foldier and a hoftage, had converfed with

law, quam conftat meis partibus efle dam- the Barbarians.

nofam. Cod. Theod. 1. xi. tit. i. leg. 158. 10 For the character of Boniface, fee Olym-

8 Caffiodorius (Variar. 1. xi. epift. i. piodorus., apud Phot. p. 196. ; and St. Au-
p. 238.) has compared the regencies of Pla- guftin, apud Tillemont, Memoires Ecclef..
cidia and Amalafuntha. He arraigns the torn. xiii. p. 712 — 715. 886. The bifnop
weaknefs of the mother of Valentinian, and of Hippo 2t length deplored the fall of his
praifes the virtues of his royal miftrefs. On friend, who, after a folemn vow of chaftity,
this occafion, flattery feems to have fpoken had married a fecond wife of the Arian feci, ■
the language of truth. and who was fufpetted of keeping feveral

9 Philoftorgius, 1. xii. c. 12. and Code- concubines in. his houfe»

Africa,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

333

Africa, atteft the military talents of count Boniface. In the field of CXxX^IIP•

battle, in partial encounters, in fmgle combats, he was ftill the terror i ; — -*

of the Barbarians : the clergy, and particularly his friend Auguftin,
were edified by the Ghriftian piety, which had once tempted him to
retire from the world ; the people applauded his fpotlefs integrity ;
the army dreaded his equal and inexorable juftice, which may be
difplayed in a very fingular example. A peafant, who complained
of the criminal intimacy between his wife and a Gothic foldier, was
directed to attend his tribunal the following day : in the evening the
count, who had diligently informed himfelf of the time and place
of the affignation, mounted his horfe, rode ten miles into the coun-
try, furprifed the guilty couple, punifhed the foldier with inftant
death, and filenced the complaints of the hufband, by prefenting him,,
the next morning, with the head of the adulterer. The abilities of
jEtius and Boniface might have been ufefully employed againft the
public enemies, in feparate and important commands ; but the expe-
rience of their pari conduct fhould have decided the real favour and
confidence of the emprefs Placidia. In the melancholy feafon of her
exile and diftrefs, Boniface alone had maintained her caufe with un—
fhaken fidelity ; and the troops and treafures of Africa had eflentially
contributed to extinguifh the rebellion. The fame rebellion had
been fupported by the zeal and activity of iEtius, who brought an
army of fixty thoufand Huns from the Danube to the confines of
Italy, for the fervice of the ufurper. The untimely death of John,
compelled him to accept an advantageous treaty; but he ftill conti-
nued, the fubject and the foldier of Valentinian,. to entertain a fecret,
perhaps a treafonable, correfpondence with his Barbarian allies,
whofe retreat had been purchafed by liberal gifts, and more liberal
promifes. But iEtius pofTefTed an advantage of fingular moment in
a female reign : he was prefent : he befiegeJ, with artful and affidu-
ous flattery, the palace of Ravenna ; difguifed his dark defigns with
5 the

THE DECLINE AND FALL

the mafk of loyalty and fricndfhip ; and at length deceived both his
miftrefs and his abient rival, by a fubtlc confpiracy, which a weak
woman, and a brave man, could not cafily fufpedt. He fecretly
pcrfuaded 11 Placidia to recal Boniface from the government of
Africa; he fecretly advifed Boniface to difobey the Imperial fum-
mons: to the one, he rcprefentcd the order as a fentence of death;
to the other, he Rated the refufal as a fignal of revolt; and when the
credulous and unfufpectful count had armed the province in his
defence, iEtius applauded his fagacity in forefeeing the rebellion,
which his own perfidy had excited. A temperate enquiry into the real
motives of Boniface, would have reflored a faithful fervant to his duty
and to the republic ; but the arts of ilitius flill continued to betray and
to inflame, and the count was urged, by perfecution, to embrace the
moll dclperatc counfels. The fuccels with which he eluded or re-
pelled the iirft attacks, could not infpire a vain confidence, that, at the
head of fome loofe, diiorderly Africans, he mould be able to withftand
the regular forces of the Well, commanded by a rival, whofe mi-
litary character it was impoffible for him to defpife. After fomc
hefitation, the laft ftruggles of prudence and loyalty, Boniface dif-
patched a trufty friend to the court, or rather to the camp, of Gou-
deric, king of the Vandals, with the propofal of a ftri& alliance,
and the offer of an advantageous and perpetual fettlcment.

After the retreat of the Goths, the authority of Honorius had
obtained a precarious eHabli.fhm.ent in Spain ; except only in the
province of Gallicia, where the Suevi and the Vandals had fortified
their camps, in mutual diieord, and hoftile independence. The
Vandals prevailed ; and their adverfaries were befieged in the Ner-

" Procopins (de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. c. 3, fecut. VaRdal. p. 42a, 421.), feems agree-
4. p. 182— 186.) relates the Fraud of ^Etius, able to the practice of ancient and modern
the revolt of Boniface, and the lofi of Africa, courts, and would be naturally revealed by
• This anecdote, which is fupported by fome the repentance of Boniface,
collateral teiliniony (fee Ruinart, Hill. Per-

vafian

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

335

yafian hills, between Leon and Oviedo, till the approach of Count Cx^^u?'

Afterius compelled, or rather provoked, the victorious Barbarians to ' *

remove the fcene of the war to the plains of Bcetica. The rapid
progrefs of the Vandals foon required a more effectual oppofition ;
and the mafter-general Caftinus marched againft them with a nu-
merous army of Romans and Goths. Vanquiflied in battle by an 1
inferior enemy, Caftinus fled with difhonour to Tarragona; and this
memorable defeat, which has been reprefented as the punifliment,
was moft probably the erTecl:, of his rafh prefumption '*. Seville
and Carthagena became the reward, or rather the prey, of the fero-
cious conquerors ; and the veffels which they found in the harbour of
Carthagena, might eaftTy transport them to the ifles of Majorca and
Minorca, where the Spanifh fugitives, as in a fecure rccefs, had
vainly concealed their families and their fortunes. The experience
of navigation, and perhaps the profpect of Africa, encouraged the
Vandals to accept the invitation which they received from Count
Boniface ; and the death of Gonderic ferved only to forward and
animate the bold enterprife. In the room of a prince, not confpi-
cuous for any fuperior powers of the mind or body, they acquired
his baftard brother, the terrible Genferic 13 ; a name, which, in the Genfenc,

li i p p of* t h

deftru&ion of the Roman empire, has deferved an equal rank with Vandals,' *
the names of Alaric and Attila. The king of the Vandals is de-
scribed to have been of a middle ftature, with a lamenefs in one leg,

11 See the Chronicles of Profper and Ida- animo profundus, fermone rarus, liixurie

this. Salvian (de Gubernat. Dei, l.vii. p. contemptor, ira turbidus habendi, cupidus,'

246. Paris, 1608.) afcribes the viftory of the ad folicitandas gentes providentiflimus, fe-

Vandals to their fuperior piety. They failed, mina contentionum jacere, odia mifcere pa- ■

they prayed, they carried a Bible in the front ratus. Jornandes, de Rebus Geticis, c. 33. .

of the Hoft, with the defign, perhaps, of re- p. 657. This portrait, which is drawn with

proaching the perfidy and facrilcge of their fome (kill, and a ftrong likenefs, mult have

enemies. been copied from the Gothic hiftory of Caflio- -

n Gizericus (his name is varioufly exprefT- ' dorius,
ed) ftatura mediocris et ec[ui casu claudicans,

6 which

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H A P. -which he had contracted by an accidental fall from his horfe. His

i *——J flow and cautious fpeech feldom declared the deep purpofes of his

foul: he difdained to imitate the luxury of the vanquifhed ; but he
indulged the fterner paffions of anger and revenge. The ambition
of Genferic was without bounds, and without fcruples ; and the
warrior could dexterouily employ the dark engines of policy to fo-
licit the allies who might be ufeful to his fuccefs, or to icatter among
■his enemies the feeds of hatred and contention. Almoft in the mo-
ment of his departure he was informed, that Hermanric, king of
the Suevi, had prefumed to ravage the Spanifh territories, which he
was refolved to abandon. Impatient of the infult, Genferic pur-
fued the hafty retreat of the Suevi as far as Merida ; precipitated the
king and his army into the river Anas, and calmly returned to the
fea-more, to embark his victorious troops. The veflels which tranf-
ported the Vandals over the modern Streights of Gibraltar, a chan-
nel only twelve miles in breadth, were furnifhed by the Spaniards,
who anxioufly wifhed their departure ; and by the African general,
who had implored their formidable affiftance ,4.

Our fancy, fo long accuftomed to exaggerate and multiply the
martial fwarms of Barbarians that feemed to ifTue from the North,
will perhaps be furprifed by the account of the army which Genfe-
ric muftered on the coaft of Mauritania. The Vandals, who in
twenty years had penetrated from the Elbe to Mount Atlas, were
united under the command of their warlike king ^ and he reigned
with equal authority over the Alani, who had pafled, within the
term of human life, from the cold of Scythia to the excemve heat of

He lands in
Africa,
A. D. 429,
May,

and reviews
his army,
A. D. 4.29.

T* See the Chronicle of Idatius. That confirmed by Ifidore, another Spanifh Kfhop,

bifhop, a Spaniard and a contemporary, -and is juilly preferred to the opinion of thofe

places the paffage of the Vandals in the writers, who have marked for that event, one

month of May, of the year of Abraham of the two preceding years. See Pagi Cri-

(which commences in October) 2444. This tica, torn. ii. p. 205, &c.
<iate, which coincides with A. D. 429, is

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

337

an African climate. The hopes of the bold enterprife had excited Ap,
many brave adventurers of the Gothic nation ; and many defperate v- «J
provincials were tempted to repair their fortunes by the fame means
which had occafioned their ruin. Yet this various multitude amounted
only to fifty thoufand effective men; and though Genferic artfully
magnified his apparent ftrength, by appointing eighty cbiliarcbs, or
commanders of thoufands, the fallacious increafe of old men, of
children, and of Haves, would fcarcely have fwelled his army to the
number of fourfcore thoufand perfonsIs. But his own dexterity, and
the difcontents of Africa, foon fortified the Vandal powers, by the ac-
ceflion of numerous and active allies. The parts of Mauritania, which The Moors,
border on the great defert, and the Atlantic ocean, were filled with
a fierce and untraceable race of men, whofe favage temper had been
exafperated, rather than reclaimed, by their dread of the Roman arms.
The wandering Moors *\ as they gradually ventured to approach the
fea-fhore, and the camp of the Vandals, muft have viewed with terror
and aftonifhment the drefs, the armour, the martial pride and difcipline
of the unknown ftrangers, who had landed on their coaft ; and the
fair complexions of the blue-eyed warriors of Germany, formed a
very fingular contraft with the fwarthy or olive hue, which is de-
rived from the neighbourhood of the torrid zone. After the firft
difficulties had in fome meafure been removed, which arofe from the
mutual ignorance of their refpe&ive language, the Moors, regardlefs

,s Compare Procopius (de Bel!. Vandal. 16 For the manners of the Moor?, fee Pro-

1. i. c. 5. p. 190.) and Viftor Vitenfis (de copius (de Bell. Vandal. 1. ii. c. 6. p. 249. ;

Perfecutione Vandal. 1. i. c. l. p. 3. edit, for their figure and complexion, M. de Buf-

Ruinart). We are afiurcd by Idatius, that fon (Hiftcire Naturelle, torn. iii. p. 430.}.

Genferic evacuated Spain, cum Vandalis Procopius fays in general, that the Moors

omnibus eorumque familiis ; and Poflidius (in had joined the Vandals before the death of

Vit. Auguftin. c. 28. apiid Ruinart, p. 427.) Valentinian (de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. c. 5. p.

defcribes his army, as manus ingens imma- 19c); and it is probable, that the independ-

nium gentium Vandalorum et Alanorum, ent tribes did not embrace any uniform fyftera

commixtam fecumhabens Gothorum gentem, of policy,
aliarumque diverfarum perfonas/

Vol. III. X x of

333

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Cxxxm' of ^uture confequence, embraced the alliance of the enemies of

c — „ » Rome ; and a crowd of naked favages rufhed from the woods and

vallies of Mount Atlas, to fatiate their revenge on the polifhed ty-
rants, who had injurioufly expelled them from the native fovereignty
of the land.

The Do- The perfecution of the Donatifts 17 was an event not lefs favourable
to the defigns of Genferic. Seventeen years before he landed in Africa,
a public conference was held at Carthage, by the order of the magiftrate.
The Catholics were fatisfied, that, after the invincible reafons which they
had alleged, the obftinacy of the fchifmatics muft be inexcufable and
voluntary; and the emperor Honorius was perfuaded to inflidt the
moll rigorous penalties on a faction, which had fo long abufed his
patience and clemency. Three hundred bilhops13, with many thou-
fands of the inferior clergy, were torn from their churches, ftripped
of their ecclefiaftical pofleflions, banifhed to the iflands, and pro-
fcribed by the laws, if they prefumed to conceal themfelves in the
provinces of Africa. Their numerous congregations, both in cities
and in the country, were deprived of the rights of citizens, and of
the exercife of religious worfhip. A regular fcale of fines, from ten
to two hundred pounds of filver, was curioufly afcertained, accord-
ing to the diftin&ions of rank and fortune, to punifli the crime of
aflifting at a fchifmatic conventicle ; and if the fine had been levied
five times, without fubduing the obftinacy of the offender, his future
punifhment was referred to the difcretion of the Imperial court ,9.

17 See Tillemont, Memoires Ecclef. torn, fent, 120 abfent, befides flxty-four vacant
xiii. p. 516 — 558. ; and the whole feries of bifhoprics.

the perfecution, in the original monuments, 19 The fifth title of the fixteenth book of

publimed by Dupin at the end of Optatus, the Theodofian Code, exhibits a feries of the

p. 323 — 515. Imperial laws againft the Donatifts, from the

18 The Donatift bilhops, at the conference year 400 to the year 428. Of thefe the 54th.
of Carthage, amounted to 279; and they law, promulgated by Honorius, A. D. 414,
afTerted, that their whole number was not is the moft fevere and effectual.

lefs than 40c. The Catholics had 286 pre-

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

339

By thefe feverities, which obtained the warmeft approbation of St. Cx^xfnP'

Auguftin 20, great numbers of Donatifts were reconciled to the Ca- 1 / 1

tholic church : but the fanatics, who ftill perfevered in their opposi-
tion, were provoked to madnefs and defpair ; the diffracted country-
was filled with tumult and bloodfhed ; the armed troops of Circum-
cellions alternately pointed their rage againft themfelves, or againft
their adverfaries; and the calendar of martyrs received on both
fides a confiderable augmentation Under thefe circumftances,
Genferic, a Chriftian, but an enemy of the orthodox communion,
fhewed himfelf to the Donatifts as a powerful deliverer, from whom
they might reafonably expect the repeal of the odious and oppremve
edicts of the Roman emperors". The conqueft of Africa was faci-
litated by the active zeal, or the fecret favour, a domeftic faction ;
the wanton outrages againft the churches, and the clergy, of which
the Vandata are accufed, may be fairly imputed to the fanaticifm of
their allies ; and the intolerant fpirit, which difgraced the triumph of
Chriftianity, contributed to the lofs of the moft important province
of the Weft13.

10 Sr. Auguftin altered his opinion with
regard to the proper treatment of heretics.
His pathetic declaration of pity and indul-
gence for the Manichasans, has been inferted
by Mr. Locke (vol. iii. p. 469.) among the
choice fpecimens of his common-place book.
Another philofopher, the celebrated Bayle
(torn. ii. p. 445—496.), has refuted, with
fuperfluous diligence and ingenuity, the ar-
guments, by which the bifhop of Hippo julti-
fied, in his old age, the perfecution of the
Donatifts.

Xl See Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. xiii.
p. 586 — 592. 806. The Donatifts boafted
of thoufands of thefe voluntary martyrs. Au-
guftin afferts, and probably with truth, that
thefe numbers were much exaggerated ; but
he fternly maintains, that it was better that
fame mould burn themfelves in this world,

than that all mould burn in hell flames.

** According to St. Auguitin and Theo-
doret, the Donatifts were inclined to the
principles, or at leaft to the party, of the
Arians, which Genferic fupported. Tille-
mont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. vi. p. 68.

23 See Baronius, Annal. Ecclef. A. D.
428. N° 7. A. D. 439. N° 35. The car-
dinal, though more inclined to feek thecaufe
of great events in heaven than on the earth,
has obferved the apparent connection of the
Vandals and the Donatifts, Under the reien
of the Barbarians, the fchifmatics of Africa
enjoyed an obfcure peace of one hundred
years ; at the end of which, we may again
trace them by the light of the Imperial per-
fections. See Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef
torn. vi. p. 192, Sec.

X X 2

The

THE DECLINE AND FALL

The court and the people were aftonifhed by the ftrange intelli-
gence, that a virtuous hero, after fo many favours, and lb many
fervices, had renounced his allegiance, and invited the Barbarians to
deftroy the province entrufted to his command. The friends of Bo-
niface, who ftill believed that his criminal behaviour might be ex—
cufed by fome honourable motive, foliated, during the abfence of
iEtius, a free conference with the Count of Africa ; and Darius, an
officer of high diftinction, was named for the important embaffy **.
In their firft interview at Carthage, the imaginary provocations-
were mutually explained ; the oppofite letters of iEtius were pro-
duced and compared; and the fraud was eafily detected. Placidia and
Boniface lamented their fatal error ; and the Count had fufficient
magnanimity to confide in the forgivenefs of his fovereign, or to
expofe his head to her future refentment. His repentance was fer-
vent and fincere ; but he foon difcovered, that it was no longer in
his power to reftore the edifice which he had lhaken to its founda-
tions. Carthage, and the Roman garrifons, returned with their
general to the allegiance of Valentinian ; but the reft of Africa was.
ftill diffracted with war and faction ; and the inexorable king of the
Vandals, difdaining all terms of accommodation, fternly refufed to-
rclinquilh the poffelTion of his prey. The band of veterans, who
marched under the ftandard of Boniface, and his hafty levies of
provincial troops, were defeated, with confiderable lofs : the victo-
rious Barbarians infulted the open country ; and Carthage, Cirta, and
Hippo Regius, were the only cities that appeared to rife above the
general inundation..

a* In a confidential letter to Count Boni- even, if he could obtain the confent of his

face, St. Auguflin, without examining the wife, to embrace a life of celibacy and pen*

grounds of the quarrel, pioufly exhorts him nance (Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. xiii.

to difcharge the duties of a Chriftian and a p. 890.). The bifhop was intimately con-

jubject ; to extricate himfelf without delay nefted with Darius, the minifter of peace

from, his dangerous and guilty fituation ; and (Id., torn. xiii. p. 928.).

The

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

341

The- long and narrow tract of the African coaft was filled with c ^ p-

.A A A 1 li .

frequent monuments of Roman art and magnificence ; and the « '

/-^•i r . -li 1 - r 1 1 Defoktion of

refpecrive degrees 01 improvement mignt be accurately meaiured by Africa,
the diftance from Carthage and the Mediterranean. A fimple reflect
tion will imprefs every thinking mind with the clearer! idea of ferti-
lity and cultivation : the country was extremely populous ; the
inhabitants referved a liberal fubfiftence for their own ufe ; and the
annual exportation, particularly of wheat, was fo regular and plen-
tiful, that Africa deferved the name of the common granary of Rome
and of mankind. On a fudden, the feven fruitful provinces, from
Tangier to Tripoli, were overwhelmed by the invafion of the Van-
dals ; whofe deftructive rage has perhaps been exaggerated by
popular animofity, religious zeal, and extravagant declamation. War,
in its faireft form, implies a perpetual violation of humanity and
juftice ; and the hoftilities of Barbarians are inflamed by the fierce
and lawlefs fpirit which incefTantly difturbs their peaceful and
domeflic fociety. The Vandals, where they found refiftance, feldom.
gave quarter; and the deaths of their valiant countrymen were ex-
piated by the ruin of the cities under whofe walls they had fallen.
Carelefs of the diftinctions of age, or fex, or rank, they employed
every fpecies of indignity and torture, to force from the captives a
difcovery of their hidden wealth. The ftern policy of Genferic j uni-
fied his frequent examples of military execution : he was not always
the mafter of his own pamons, or of thofe of his followers ; and
the calamities of war were aggravated by the licentioufnefs of the
Moors, and the fanaticifm of the Donatifts. Yet I fhall not eafily
be perfuaded, that it was the common practice of the Vandals to
extirpate the olives, and other fruit-trees, of a country where they
intended to fettle : nor can I believe that it was a ufual ftrataeem to
flaughter great numbers of their prifoners before the walls of a be-
fieged city, for the fole purpofe of infecting the air, and producing

a pefti-

342

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H A P. a peftilence, of which they themfelves muft have been the firft

X X X 1 II.

v — _ _y victims 2S.

siege of Hip- The generous mind of Count Boniface was tortured by the exqui-
S'.'d. 430, nte Jiftrefs of beholding the ruin, which he had occafioned, and
May. whofe rapid progrefs he was unable to check. After the lofs of a
battle, he retired into Hippo Regius; where he was immediately
befieged by an enemy, who confidered him as the real bulwark of
Africa. The maritime colony of Hippo'1*, about two hundred miles
weftward of Carthage, had formerly acquired the diftinguifhing epi-
thet of Regius, from the refidence of Numidian kings ; and fome
remains of trade and populoufnefs ftill adhere to the modern city,
which is known in Europe by the corrupted name of Bona. The
military labours, and anxious reflections, of Count Boniface, were
alleviated by the edifying converfation of his friend St. Auguftin 17 ;
till that bifhop, the light and pillar of the Catholic church, was
Death of St. gently releafed, in the third month of the fiege, and in the feventy-
a"S. 430, nxth year °f his age> from the actual and the impending calamities
Auguit28. Q£ country. The youth of Auguftin had been ftained by the
vices and errors, which he fo ingenuoufly confefles j but from the

65 The original complaints of the defla-
tion of Africa are contained, i. In a letter
from Capreolus, bifhop of Carthage, to ex
cufe his abfence from the council of Ephelus
(.ip. Ruinart, p. 429.). 2. In the life of St.
Auguiiin, by his friend and colleague Pof-
fiilius (ap. Ruinart, p. 427.). 3. In the
Hiftory of the Vandalic Perfecution, by Vic-
tor Vitenfis (1. i. c. 1. 2, 3. edit. Ruinart).
The laft pifture, which was drawn fixty years
after the event, is more exprefiive of the au-
thor's paffions than of the truth of fails.

16 See Cellarius, Geograph. Antiq. torn,
ii. part ii. p. 112. Leo African, in Ramufio,
torn. i. fol. 70. L'Afrique de Marmol. torn,
ii. p. 434. 437. Shaw's Travels, p. 46, 47.

The old Hippo Regius was finally de^royed
by the Arabs in the feventh century ; but a
new town, at the diftance of two miles, was
built with the materials ; and it contained, in
the fixteenth century, about three hundred
families of induilrious, but turbulent, ma-
nufacturers. The adjacent territorv is re-
nowned for a pure air, a fertile foil, and
plenty of exquifite fruits.

17 The life of St. Auguftin, by Tille-
mont, fills a quarto volume (Mem. Ecclef.
torn, xiii.) of more than one thoufand pages ;
and the diligence of that learned Janfenift
was excited, on this occafion, by factious
and devout zeal for the founder of his
fed.

moment

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

moment of his converfion, to that of his death, the manners of the C HA P.

A A A J J > •

buliop of Hippo were pure and auftere: and the moft confpicuous i , >

of his virtues was an ardent zeal againft heretics of every denomi-
nation ; the Manichseans, the Donatifls, and the Pelagians, againft
whom he waged a perpetual controverfy. When the city, fome
months after his death, was burnt by the Vandals, the library was
fortunately faved, which contained his voluminous writings; two
hundred and thirty-two feparate books or treadles on theological
fubjeds, befides a complete expofition of the pfalter and the gofpcl,. v
and a copious magazine of epiilles and homilies IS. According to
the judgment of the moft impartial critics, the fuperficial learning of
Auguftin was confined to the Latin language 29j and his ftyle,
though fometimes animated by the eloquence of paffion, is ufually
clouded by falfe and affected rhetoric. But he poffeffed a ftrong,
capacious, argumentative mind ; he boldly founded the dark abyfs of
grace, predeftination, free-will, and original fin ; and the rigid
fyftem of Chriftianity which he framed or reftored 30, has been
entertained, with public applaufe, and fecret reluctance, by the Latin-
church31.

iS Such at Ieaft is the account of Victor Platonifb in a Latin verfion (Confeff. vii. 9.).
Yitenfis (de Periecut. Vandal. 1. i. c. 3.) ; Some modern critics have thought, that his
thoirgh Gennadius feems to doubt whether ignorance of Greek difqualified him from
any perfon had read, or even collected, all expounding the fcriptures ; and Cicero or
the works of St. Auguftin (See Hieronym. Quintilian would have required the know-
Opera, torn. i. p. 319. in Catalog. Scriptor. ledge of that language in a profeftbr of rhe-
Ecclef. ) . They have been repeatedly printed ; toric.

and Dupin (Bibliotheque Ecclef. torn. iii. p. 30 Thefe queftions were feldom agitated,
158 — 257.) has given a large and fatisfadlory from the time of St; Paul to that of St. Au-
abilracl of them, as they ftand in the laft guftin. I am informed that the Greek fa-
edition of the Benediftines. My perfonal thers maintain the natural fentiments cf the
acquaintance with the bifhop of Hippo does Semi-pelagians ; and that the orthodoxy of
not extend beyond the Qonfejp.ons , and the St. Auguftin was derived from the Manichsan
City of God. fchool.

19 In his early youth (ConfefT. i. 14.) St. 31 The church of Rome has canonifed
Auguftin difliked and neglected the ftudy of Auguftin, and reprobated Calvin. Yet as
Greek ; and he frankly owns that he read the the real difference between them is inviiible

even.

344 THE DECLINE AND* TALL

c H A P. By the fkill of Boniface, and perhaps by the ignorance of the

— ^— i Vandals, the fiege of Hippo was protracled above fourteen months :

retreat of the fea was continually open ; and when#he acjacent country had
aTda^i been exhaufted by irregular rapine, the befiegers themfelves were
compelled by famine to relinquiih their enterprife. The importance
and danger of Africa were deeply felt by the regent of The Weft*
Placidia implored the affiftance of her eaftern ally ; and the Italian
fleet and army were reinforced by Afpar, who failed from Conftan-
tinople with a powerful armament. As foon as the force of the
two empires was united under the command of Boniface, he boldly
marched againfl the Vandals ; and the lofs of a fecond battle irre-
trievably decided the fate of Africa. He embarked with the precipi-
tation of defpair ; and the people of Hippo were permitted, with
their families and effects, to occupy the vacant place of the foldiers,
the greateft part of whom were either flain or made prifoners.by the
Vandals. The Count, whofe fatal credulity had wounded the vitals
of the republic, might enter the palace of Ravenna with fome
anxietv, which was foon removed by the fmiles of Placidia. Boni-
face accepted with gratitude the rank of patrician, and the dignity
of mafter-general of the Roman armies ; but he muft have blufhed
at the fight of thofe medals, in which he was reprefented with the
name and attributes of vi&ory31. The difcovery of his fraudj^he

even to a theological microfcop': ; the Mo- 31 Ducange, Fam. Eyzant. p. 67. On one

liniils are opprefied by the authirily of the fide, the head of Valentinian ; on the reverfe,

faint, and the Janfenills are difgraced by their Boniface, with a fcourge in one hand, and a

refemblance to the heretic In the mean palm in the other, Handing in a triumphal

while the Proteftant Arminians ftand aloof, car, which is drawn by four horfes, or, ia

and deride the mutual perplexity of the dif- another medal, by four flags ; an unlucky em-

putants (See a curious Review of the Con- blem ! I Ihould doubt whether another ex-

trovcrfy, byLe Clerc, Bibliotheque Univer- ample can be found of the head of a fubjedt

fclle, torn. xiv. p. 144 — 593.). Perhaps a on the reverfe of an Imperial medal. See

reafoner liiil more independent, may fmile in Science des Medailles, by the Pere Jobert,

his turn, when he perufes an Arminian Com- torn. i. p. 132 — 150. edit, of 1739, by the

penury on the Epiitle to the Romans. Baron de la Bailie.

4 diJpleafure

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 345

difpleafure of the emprefs, and the diftinguifhed favour of his rival, xxxiV'
exafperated the haughty and perfidious foul of iEtius. He haftily >~ -J
returned from Gaul to Italy, with a retinue, or rather with an army,
of Barbarian followers ; and fuch was the weaknefs of the govern-
ment, that the two generals decided their private quarrel in a bloody
battle. Boniface was fuccefsful ; but he received in the conflict a
mortal wound from the fpear of his adverfary, of which he expired ^ sDde*^'
within a few days, in fuch Chriftian and charitable fentiments, that
he exhorted his wife, a rich heirefs of Spain, to accept iEtius for
her fecond hufband. But iEtius could not derive any immediate
advantage from the generofity of his dying enemy : he was pro-
claimed a rebel by the juftice of Placidia ; and though he attempted
to defend fome ftrong fortreifes erected on his patrimonial eftate, the
Imperial power foon compelled him to retire into Pannonia, to the
tents of his faithful Huns. The republic was deprived, by their mutual
difcord, of the fervice of her two moft illuftrious champions

It might naturally be expected, after the retreat of Boniface, Progrefs of
that the Vandals would atchieve, without refiftance or delay, the inAfrka* *
conqueft of Africa. Eight years however elapfed, from the evacua- ^9?' 43 1~"
tion of Hippo to the reduction of Carthage. In the midft of
that interval, the ambitious Genferic, in the full tide of apparent
profperity, negociated a treaty of peace, by which he gave his fon
Hunneric for an hoftage; and confented to leave the Weftern em-
peror in the undifturbed polfeffion of the three Mauritanias 34. This

33 Procopius (de Bell. Vandal. 1. i c. 3. c. 4. p. 186. Valentinian publilhed fcveral
p. 185.) continues the hiftory of Boniface no humane laws, to relieve the diilrefs of his
farther than his return to Italy. His death Numidian and Mauritanian fubjeds j he dif-
is mentioned by Profpcr and Marcellinus ; charged them, in a great meafure, from the
the expreflion of the Litter, that A tius, the payment of their debts, reduced their tribute
day before, had provided himfelf with a to one-eighth, and gave them a right of ap-
longer fpear, implies fomething like a regular peal from their provincial magillrates to the
duel- prefect of Rome. Cod. Theod. torn. vi.

34 See Procopius, de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. Novell, p. 11, 12.

Vol. III. Y y .moderation,

THE DECLINE AND FALL

moderation, which cannot be imputed to the juftice, muft be afcribed
to the policy, of the conqueror. His throne was encompaffed witii
domeftic enemies ; who accufed the bafenefs of his birth, and afferted
the legitimate claims of his nephews, the fons of Gonderic. Thofe
nephews, indeed, he facrificed to his fafety ; and their mother, the
widow of the deceafed king, was precipitated, by his order, into the
river Ampfaga. But the public difcontent burft forth in dangerous
and frequent confpiracies ; and the warlike tyrant is fuppofed to
have fhed more Vandal blood by the hand of the executioner, than
in the field of battle35. The convulsions of Africa, which had fa-
voured his attack, oppofed the firm eftablilliment of his power ; and
the various feditions of the Moors and Germans, the Donatifts and
Catholics, continually difturbed, or threatened, the unfettled reign
of the conqueror. As he advanced towards Carthage, he was forced
to withdraw his troops from the Weftern provinces ; the fea-coaft
was expofed to the naval enterprifes of the Romans of Spain and
Italy ; and, in the heart of Numidia, the ftrong inland city of Corta
ftill perfifted in obftinate independence 3\ Thefe difficulties were
gradually fubdued by the fpirit, the perfeverance, and the cruelty of
Genferic ; who alternately applied the arts of peace and war to the
eftablifhment of his African kingdom. He fubfcribed a folemn
treaty, with the hope of deriving fome advantage from the term of
its continuance, and the moment of its violation. The vigilance of
his enemies was relaxed by the proteftations of friend'fhip, which
concealed his hoftile approach ; and Carthage was at length furprifed
by the Vandals, five hundred and eighty-five years after the de-
ftruction of the city and republic by the younger Scipio 37 .

35 Viflor Vitenfis, de Perfecut. Vandal. 37 See the Chronicles of Idatius, Ifidore,
1. ii. c. 5. p. 26. The cruelties of Genferic Profper, and Marcellinus. They mark the
towards his fubjefts, are ltrongly expreffed in fame year, but different days, fbr the furprifal
Profper's Chronicle, A. D. 442. of Carthage.

36 Poffidius, in Vit. Auguftin,c, 28. apud
"Ruin art,, p. 428,

A new

'OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

347

A new city had arifen from its ruins, with the title of a colony ; CHAP.

X X X J I J .

— I

and though Carthage might yield to the royal prerogatives of Con-
ftantinople, and perhaps to the trade of Alexandria, or the fplendor Theyfurprife

Carthage,

of Antioch, me ftill maintained the fecond rank in the Weft ; as the A.D. 439,
Rome (if we may ufe the ftyle of contemporaries) of the African 06tober ^
world. That wealthy and opulent metropolis 38 difplayed, in a
dependent condition, the image of a flourifhing republic. Carthage
contained the manufactures, the arms, and the treafures of the fix
provinces. A regular fubordination of civil honours, gradually af-
cended from the procurators of the ftreets and quarters of the city,
to the tribunal of the fupreme magiftrate, who, with the title of
proconful, reprefented the ftate and dignity of a conful of ancient
Rome. Schools and gymnafta were inftituted for the education of
the African youth \ and the liberal arts and manners, grammar, rhe-
toric, and philofophy, were publicly taught in the Greek and Latin
languages. The buildings of Carthage were uniform and mag-
nificent : a fhady grove was planted in the midft of the capital ; the
new port, a fecure and capacious harbour, was fubfervient to the
commercial induftry of citizens and ftrangers ; and the fplendid
games of the Circus and theatre were exhibited almoft in the pre-
fence of the Barbarians. The reputation of the Carthaginians was
not equal to that of their country, and the reproach of Punic faith
ftill adhered to their fubtle and faithlefs character 39 . The habits cf
trade, and the abufe of luxury, had corrupted their manners j but

3! The pifture of Carthage, as it flourilhed but only a gynecsum, or female manufac-

in the fourth and fifth centuries, is taken ture.

irom the Expofstio totius Mundi, p. 17, 18. 39 The anonymous author of the Expofitio

in the third volume of Hudfon's Minor Geo- totius Mundi, compares, in his barbarous

graphers, from Aufonius de Claris Urbibus, Latin, the country and the inhabitants ; and,

p. 228, 229. ; and principally from Salvian, after ftigmatifing their want of faith, he

de GubernationeDei, 1. vii. p. 257, 258. I coolly concludes, Difficile autem inter eos

am furprifed that the Notitia mould not place invenitur bonus, tamen in multis pauci boni

either a mint, or an arfenal, at Carthage ; efl'e poflunt. P. 18.

Y y 2 their

348 THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap, their impious contempt of monks, and the fhamelefs practice of tin-
v— — % 1 natural lufts, are the two abominations which excite the pious ve-
hemence of Salvian, the preacher of the age 4°. The king of the
Vandals feverely reformed the vices of a voluptuous people ; and
the ancient, noble, ingenuous, freedom, of Carthage (thefe expreffions
of Victor are not without energy), was reduced by Genferic into a
ftate of ignominious fervitude. After he had permitted his licentious
troops to fatiate their rage and avarice, he inftituted a more re-
gular fyftem of rapine and oppreflion. An edict was promulgated,
which enjoined all perfon?, without fraud or delay, to deliver theft"
gold, filver, jewels, and valuable furniture or apparel, to the royal
officers ; and the attempt to fecrete any part of their patrimony, was
inexorably punifhed with death and torture, as an act of treafon
againft the ftate. The- lands of the proconfular province, which
formed the immediate diftrict of Carthage, were accurately mea-
fured, and divided among the Barbarians; and the conqueror re-
ferved for his peculiar domain, the fertile territory of Byzacium, and
the adjacent parts of Numidia and Getulia4'.
African It was natural enough that Genferic mould hate thofe whom he

exiles and #. ■ . t

•captives. had injured : the nobility and fenators of Carthage were expofed
to his jealoufy and refentment ; and all thofe who refufed the igno-
minious terms, which their honour and religion forbade them to
accept, were compelled by the Arian tyrant to embrace the condition
of perpetual banifhment. Rome, Italy, and the provinces of the

40 He declares, that the peculiar vices of countenance, the drefs, and the character

each country were collected in the fink of of women (p. 264.). If a monk appeared

Carthage (1. vii. p. 257.). In the indulgence in the city, the holy man was purfued with

of vice, the Africans applauded their manly impious fcorn and ridicule ; deteftantibus ri-

virtue. - Et illi fe magis virilis fortitudinis dentium cachinnis (p. 289.).
effe creierent, qui maxime viros foeminei +' Compare Procopius, de Bell. Vandal,

usus probrofitate fregiflent (p. 26S.). The 1. i. c. 5. p. 189, 190. ; and Victor Vitenfis,

ftreets of Carthage were polluted by effemi- dePerfecut. Vandal. 1. i. c. 4.
nate wretches, who publicly aflumed the

Eaft*

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

349

Eaft, were filled with a crowd of exiles, of fugitives, and of ingenuous ^^xtl/'
captives, who folicited the public compaflion: and the benevolent v- —*
epiftles of Theodoret, ftill preferve the names and misfortunes of
Casleftian and Maria *\ The Syrian bifhop deplores the misfor-
tunes of Cseleftian, who, from the ftate of a noble and opulent fena-
tor of Carthage, was reduced, with his wife and family, and fervants,
to beg his bread in a foreign country ; but he applauds the refig-
nation of the Chriftian exile, and the philofophic temper, which,
under the preffure of fuch calamities, could enjoy more real happi-
• nefs, than was the ordinary lot of wealth and profperity. The ftory
of Maria, the daughter of the magnificent Eudsemon, is fingular and
interefting. In the flick of Carthage, fhe was purchafed from the
Vandals by fome merchants of Syria, who afterwards fold her as a
flave in their native country. A female attendant, tranfported in the
fame fhip, and fold in the fame family, ftill continued to refpect a
miftrefs whom fortune had reduced to the common level of fervi-
tude ; and the daughter of Eudsemon received from her grateful
affection the domeftic fervices, which fhe had once required from
her obedience. This_ remarkable behaviour divulged the real condi-
tion of Maria ; who, in the abfence of the bifhop of Cyrrhus, was
redeemed from flavery by the generofity of fome foldiers of the gar-
rifon. The liberality of Theodoret provided for her decent mainte-
nance ; and fhe pafled ten months among the deaconeffes of the
church; till fhe was unexpectedly informed, that her father, who
had efcaped from the ruin of Carthage, exercifed an honourable
office in one of the Weftern provinces. Her filial impatience was
feconded by the pious bifhop : Theodoret, in a letter ftill extant,
recommends Maria to the bifhop of iEga?, a maritime city of Cilicia,
which was frequented, during the annual fair, by the veffels of the

41 Ruinart (p. 444— 457.) has collefted fortunes, real and fabulous, of the inhabitants
from Theodoret, and other authors, the mif- of Carthage.

Weft;

35°

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Cvv A P* Weft ; moft earneftly requefting, that his colleague would ufe the

2% A A 111.

v~ .,; maiden with a tendernels fuilable to her birth ; and that he would
entruft her to the care of fuch faithful merchants, as would eftecm
it a fufficient gain, if they reftored a daughter, loft beyond all hu-
man hope, to the arms of her afflicted parent.
'fcvetTfleep6 Among the infipid legends of ecclefiaftical hiftory, I am tempted

e«. to diftinguiih the memorable fable of the Seven Sleepers43 : whole

imaginary date correfponds with the reign of the younger Theo-
dofms, and the conqueft of Africa by the Vandals **. When the
emperor Decius perfecuted the Chriftians, feven noble youths of
Ephefus concealed themfelves in a fpacious cavern in the fide of
an adjacent mountain j where they were doomed to perifh by the
tyrant, who gave orders that the entrance fhonld be firmly fecured
with a pile of huge ftones. They immediately fell into a deep
flumber, which was miraculoufry' prolonged, without injuring the
powers of life, during a period of one hundred and eighty-feven
years. At the end of that time, the flaves of Adolius, to whom the
inheritance of the mountain had defcended, removed the ftones, to
fupply materials for feme ruftic edifice: the light of the fun darted
into the cavern, and the feven fleepers were permitted to awake.
After a flumber, as they thought of a few hours, they were prefTed
by the calls of hunger; and refolved that Jamblichus, one of their

4J The choice of fabulous circumftances is 336. 338.), place the refurre&ion of the Se-

of fmall importance j yet I have confined ven Sleepers in the years 736 (A. D. 425.),

myfelf to the narrative which was tranflated or 748 (A. D. 437.)* of the asra of the Se-

from the Syriac by the care of Gregory of leucides. Their Greek atts, which Photius

Tours (de Gloria Martyrum, t. i. c. 95. in had read, aflign the date of the thirty-eighth

Max. Bibliotheca Patrum, torn. xi. p. 856.), year of the reign of Theodofius, which may

to the Greek afts of their martyrdom (apud coincide either with A. D. 439, or 446. The

Photium, p.- 1400, 1401.), and to the Annals period which had elapfed fince the perfecu-

of the Patriarch Eutychius (torn. i. p. 391. tion of Decius is eafily afcertained ; and no-

53'» S32- 535' Verf. Pocock.). thing lefs than the ignorance of Mahomet,

44 Two Syriac writers, as they are quoted or the legendaries, could fuppofe an interval

by Affemanni (Bibliot. Oriental, torn. i. p. of three or four hundred years.

5 number,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 351

number, mould fecretly return to the city, to purchafe bread for the c HVA Tp"

ufe of his companions. The youth (if we may ftill employ that ^ ^ i

appellation) could no longer recognife the once familiar afpeft of his
native country ; and his furprife was increafed by the appearance of
a large crofs, triumphantly erected over the principal gate of Ephe-
fus. His fingular drefs, and obfolete language, confounded the
baker, to whom he offered an ancient medal of Decius as the cur-
rent coin of the empire ; and Jamblichus, on the fufpicion of a
fecret treafure, was dragged before the judge. Their mutual en- -
quiries produced the amazing difcovery, that two centuries were
almoft elapfed fmce Jamblichus, and his friends, had efcaped from
the rage of a Pagan tyrant. The bifhop of Ephefus, the clergy, the
magi(lrates, the people, and as it is faid the emperor Theodofius
himfelf, haftened to vifit the cavern of the Seven Sleepers j who
beftowed their benediction, related their ftory, and at the fame
inftant peaceably expired. The origin of this marvellous fable cannot
be afcribed to the pious fraud and credulity of the modern Greeks,
fmce the authentic tradition may be traced within half a century of
the fuppofed miracle. James of Sarug, a Syrian bifhop, who was
born only two years after the death of the younger Theodofius, has
devoted one of his two hundred and thirty homilies to the praife of
the young men of Ephefus *s. Their legend, before the end of the
fixth century, was tranflated from the Syriac,into the Latin, language,
by the care of Gregory of Tours. The hoftile communions of the
Eaft preferve their memory with equal reverence ; and their names
are honourably infcribed in the Roman, the HabylTinian, and the

44 James, one of the orthodox fathers of ni, torn. i. p. 288, 289.). For the homily

the Syrian church, was born A. D. 452. ; he de Pueris Epbejinis, fee p. 335 — 339. : though .

began to compofe his fermons A. D. 474. : I could wifh that Afiemanni had tranflated

he was made bifhop of Batnje, in the diitrift the text of James of Sarug, inftead of anfwer-

of Sarug, and province of Mefopotamia, ing the objections of Baronius.
A. D. 519, and died A. D. 521. (Afleman-

Ruflian .

35*

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CYvvmP* Ruff*,an calendar*". Nor has their reputation been confined to the

yt A. A. Ill •

Chriftian world. This popular tale, which Mahomet might learn
when he drove his camels to the fairs of Syria, is introduced, as a
divine revelation, into the Koran *7. The ftory of the Seven Sleepers
has been adopted, and adorned by the nations, from Bengal to Africa,
who profefs the Mahometan religion 48 ; and fome veftiges of a
fimilar tradition have been dilcovercd in the remote extremities of
Scandinavia49. This eafy and univerfal belief, fo exprefiive of the
fenfe of mankind, may be afcribed to the genuine merit of the fable
itfelf. We imperceptibly advance from youth to age, without ob-
ferving the gradual, but incefTant, change of human affairs; and
even in our larger experience of hiftory, the imagination is accuf-
tomed, by a perpetual ferics of caufes and effects, to unite the moft
diftant revolutions. But if the interval between two memorable aeras
could be inftantly annihilated ; if it were poflible, after a momentary
fl umber of two hundred years, to difplay the new world to the eyes
of a fpectator, who {till retained a lively and recent imprefTion of
the old, his furprife and his reflections would furnifh the pleafing
fubjec"t of a philofophical romance. The fcene could not be more ad-

49 See the Ada Sanftorum of the Bolland- mine into the cavern ; and the care of God

ills (Mcnfis Julii, torn. vL p. 375 — 397-)- himfelf, who preferved their bodies from pu-

This immenfc calendar of faints, in one hun- trefaction, by turning them to the right and

dred and twenty-fix years (1644—1770.). left.

and in fifty volumes in folio, has advanced 48 See d'Herbelot, Bibliotheque Orientale,

no farther than the 7th day of Oftober. The p. 139. ; and Renaudot, Hilt. Patriarch. Alex-

fuppreflion of the Jeluits has moft proba- andrin. p. 39, 40.

bly checked an undertaking, which, through 49 Paul, the deacon of Aquileia (de Geftis

the medium of fable and fuperfiition, com- Langobardorum, I. i. c. 4. p. 74;, 746. edit,

municates much hillorical and philofophical Grot.), who lived towards the end of the

inftruction. eighth century, has placed in a cavern un-

47 See Maracci Alcoran. Sura xviii. torn, der a rock, on the fhore of the ocean, the

ii. p. 420 427. and torn. i. part iv. p. 103. Seven Sleepers of the North, whofe longre-

With fuch an ample privilege, Mahomet lias pofe was refpecled by the Barbarians. Their

not (hewn much tafte or ingenuity. He has drefs declared them to be Romans ; and the

invented the dog (Al Rakim) of the Seven deacon conjectures, that they were referved

Sleepers ; the refpect of the fun, who altered by Providence as the future apoftles of thofe

hit courfe twice a day, that he might not unbelieving countries.

2 vantageoufly

OF THE ROMANf EMPIRE.

vantageoufly placed, than in the two centuries which elapfed
between the reigns of Decius and of Theodofius the Younger. Dur-
ing this period, the feat of government had been tranfported from
Rome to a new city on the banks of the Thracian Bofphorus ; and
the abufe of military fpirit had been fupprefTed, by an artificial fyjftem
of tame and ceremonious fervitude. The throne of the perfecuting
Decius was filled by a fucceffion of Chriftian and orthodox princes,
who had extirpated the fabulous gods of antiquity : and the public
devotion of the age was impatient to exalt the faints and martyrs of
the Catholic church, on the altars of Diana and Hercules. The
union of the Roman empire was dilfolved : its genius was humbled
in the duft ; and armies of unknown Barbarians, ifluing from the
frozen regions of the North, had eftablifhed their victorious reign
over the faireft provinces of Europe and Africa.

Vol. III.

CHAP.

,354

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. XXXIV..

77:e Character Conquefts^ and Ccurt of j4ttilay King of

the Huns. — Death of cTheodofius the Younger.

Elevation of Martian to the Empire of the Eaft.

CHAP. rpHE weftern world was opprefTed by the Goths and Vandals,

XXXIV. '

. JL who fled before the Huns ; but the atchievements of the

^heHuns,^ j}uns themfelves were not adequate to their power and profperity..
433» Their victorious hords had fpread from the Volga to the Danube ;

but the public force was exhaufted by the difcord of independent
chieftains; their valour was idly confumed in obfcure and predatory
excurfions ; and they often degraded their national dignity by con-
defcending, for the hopes of fpoil, to enlift under the banners of
their fugitive enemies. In the reign of Attila the Huns again
became the terror of the world; and I fhall now defcribe the cha-
racter and actions of that formidable Barbarian; who alternately

1 The authentic materials for the hillory Maffei Offervazioni Litterarie, tom.i. p. 88, .

of Attila may be found in Jornandes (de 89. Whatever the modern Hungarians have

Rebus Geticis, c. 34— 50. p. 660 — 6S8. edit, added, mult be fabulous; and they do not

Grot.), and Prifcus (Excerpta de Legationi- feem to have excelled in the art of fiftion.

■bus-, p. 33—76. Paris, 1648.). I have not They fuppofe, that when Attila invaded

feen the lives of Attila, compofed by Ju- Gaul and Italy, married innumerable wives,

vencus Caelius Calar.us Dalmatinus, in the &c. he was one hundred and twenty years of.

twelfth century, or by Nicolas Olahus, arch- age Thevrocz Chron. p. i. c. 22. in Script.,

bifhopof Gran, in the fixteenth. See Maf- Hungar. tom.i. p. 76.
cou's Hillory of the Germans, ix. 23, and

infultecV.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

355

infulted and invaded the Eaft and the Weft, and urged the rapid cJi£*'

downfal of the Roman empire. ' * '

In the, tide of emigration, which impetuoufly rolled from the Their erta-
confines of China to thofe of Germany, the moft powerful and po- modcraHun-
pulous tribes may commonly be found on the verge of the Roman Sar> -
provinces. The accumulated weight was fuftained for a while by ar-
tificial barriers ; and the eafy condefcenfion of the emperors invited*
without fatisfying, the infolent demands of the Barbarians, who had
acquired an eager appetite for the luxuries of civilized life. The
Hungarians, who ambitioufly infert the name of Attila among their
native kings, may affirm with truth, that the hords, which were
fubject to his uncle Roas, or Rugilas, had formed their encampments
within the limits of modern Hungary *, in a fertile country, which
liberally fupplied the wants of a nation of hunters and fhepherds.
In this advantageous fituation, Rugilas, and his valiant brothers, who
continually added to their power and reputation, commanded the
alternative of peace or war with the two empires. His alliance with
the Romans of the Weft was cemented by his perfonal friendfhip for
the great iEtius ; who was always fecure of finding, in the Barba-
rian camp, a hofpitable reception, and a powerful fupport. At his
folicitation, and in the name of John the ufurper, fixty thoufand
Huns advanced to the confines of Italy ; their march and their
retreat were alike expenfive to the ftate ; and the grateful policy of
iEtius abandoned the poffefiion of Pannonia to his faithful confede-
rates. The Romans of the Eaft were not lefs apprehenfive of the

* Hungary has been fucceflively occupied The Prodromus and Nctitia of Matthew Be-
by three Scythian colonies, i. The Huns of lius, appear to contain a rich fund of inform.
Attila ; 2. the Abares, in the fixth century ; ation concerning ancient and modern Hun-
and, 3. the Turks or Magiars, A. D. 889.; gary. I have feen the extracts in Bibliothequc

the immediate and genuine anccftors of the Anctcwne et Moderne, torn. xxii. p. 1 ji

modern Hungarians, whofe connexion with and Bibliotheque Raifonnee, torn. xri. p.

<he two former is extremely faint and remote. 1 27 — 175.

Z z 2 arms

THE DECLINE AND FALL

arms of Rugilas, which threatened the provinces, or even the capi-
tal. Some ecclefiaftical hiftorians have deftroyed the Barbarians with
lightning and peftilence 3; but Theodofius was reduced to the more
humble expedient of ftipulating an annual payment of three hundred
and fifty pounds of gold, and of difguifing this difhonourable tribute
by the title of general, which the king of the Huns condefcended to
accept. The public tranquillity was frequently interrupted by the
fierce impatience of the Barbarians, and the perfidious intrigues of
the Byzantine court. Four dependent nations, among whom we
may diilinguifh the Bavarians, difclaimed the fovereignty of the
Huns ; and their revolt was encouraged and protected by a Roman
alliance ; till the juft claims, and formidable power, of Rugilas, were
effectually urged by the voice of Eflaw his ambaffador. Peace was
the unanimous with of the fenate : their decree was ratified by the
emperor ; and two ambaffadors were named, Plinthas, a general of
Scythian extraction, but of confular rank j and the quscftor Epigenes,
a wife and experienced ftatefman, who was recommended to that
office by his ambitious colleague.

The death of Rugilas fufpended the progrefs of the treaty. His
two nephews, Attila and Bleda, who fucceeded to the throne of
their uncle, confented to a perfonal interview with the ambaffadors
of Conftantinople ; but as they proudly refufed to difmount, the bu-
fmefs was tranfacted on horfeback, in a fpacious plain near the
city of Margus, in the Upper Msefia. The kings of the Huns
affumed the folid benefits, as well as the vain honours, of the nego-
ciation. They dictated the conditions of peace, and each condition
was an infult on the majefty of the empire. Befides the freedom

3 Socrates, 1 vii. c. 43. Theodoret, 1. v. oufly contends (Hift. des Emp. torn. vi. p.
c. 36. Tillemont, who always depends on 136. 607. ), that die wars and perfonages were
the faith of his ecclefiaftical authors, ftrenu- not the fame.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

357

of a fafe and plentiful market on the banks of the Danube, they C H A P.

XXXIV.

required that the annual contribution fhould be augmented from , ( L,

three hundred and fifty, to feven hundred, pounds of gold ; that a
fine, or ranfom, of eight pieces of gold, mould be paid for every
Roman captive, who had efcaped from his Barbarian mafler ;
that the emperor mould renounce all treaties and engagements
with the enemies of the Huns ; and that all the fugitives, who
had taken refuge in the court, or provinces, of Theodolius, mould
be delivered to the juftice of their offended fovereign. This jufticc
was rigoroufly inflicted on fome unfortunate youths of a royal race.
They were crucified on the territories of the empire, by the command
of Attila: and, as foon as the king of the Huns had impreaed the
Romans with the terror of his name, he indulged them in a fhort
and arbitrary refpite, whilft he fubdued the rebellious or independent
nations of Scythia and Germany +.

Attila, the fon of Mundzuk, deduced his noble, perhaps his regal, His fio.urr
defcent 5 from the ancient Huns, who had formerly contended with and c*iarac-

ter;

the monarchs of China. His features, according to the obfervation
of a Gothic hiftorian, bore the ftamp of his national origin ; and the
portrait of Attila exhibits the genuine deformity of a modern Cal-
muck 6 ; a large head, a fwarthy complexion, fmall deep-feated eyes,
a flat nofe, a few hairs in the place of a beard, broad moulders, and
a fhort fquare body, of nervous ftrength, though of a difproportioned
form. The haughty ftep and demeanour of the king of the Huns ex-
preffed the confeioufnefs of his fuperiority above the reft of mankind

4 See Prifcus, p. 47, 48. and Hift. des his father's real name (de Guignes, Hift. des
Peuples de l'Europe, torn. vii. c. xii, xiii, Huns, torn. ii. p. 297.).

xiv xv> 6 Compare Jornandes (c. 35. p. 661.) with

, D -r f-pu a i-T BufFon, Hid. Naturelle, torn. in. p. ?go, .

5 Prifcus, p. -50. The modern Hunga- c' , . . ' ... ^ * .

. , , , , , 7 , The former had a nght to obferve, oneinis

nans have deduced his genealoey, which <• „ r„ n- 1 r. ' j

s 67 ' lux figna reltituens. The character and por-

afcends, in the thirty-fifth degree, to Ham trajt 0f Attila are probably traafcribed from
the fon of Noah ; yet they are ignorant of Caffiodorius.

and

35S THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H A P. and he had a cuftom of fiercely rolling his eyes, as if he wimed

XXXIV.

to enjoy the terror which he infpired. Yet this favage hero was
•not inacceffible to pity : his fuppliant enemies might confide in the
affurance of peace or pardon ; and Attila was confidered by his fub-
jects as a juft and indulgent mafter. He delighted in war ; but, after
he had afcended the throne in a mature age, his head, rather than
his hand, atchieved the conqueft of the North ; and the fame of an
adventurous foldier was ufefully exchanged for that of a prudent and
fuccefsful general. The effects of perfonal valour are fo inconfider-
able, except in poetiy or romance, that victory, even among Bar-
barians, muft depend on the degree of {kill, with which the paflions
of the multitude are combined and guided for the fervice of a fingle
man. The Scythian conquerors, Attila and Zingis, furpafTed their
rude countrymen in art, rather than in courage; and it may be ob-
served, that the monarchies, both of the Huns, and of the Moguls,
were erected by their founders on the bafis of popular fuperftition.
The miraculous conception, which fraud and credulity afcribed to
the virgin-mother of Zingis, raifed him above the level of human
nature ; and the naked prophet, who, in the name of the Deity, in-
verted him with the empire of the earth, pointed the valour of the
Moguls with irrefiftible enthufiafm 7. The religious arts of Attila
were not lefs fkilfully adapted to the character of his age and
country. It was natural enough, that the Scythians fhould adore,
with peculiar devotion, the god of war ; but as they were incapable
of forming either an abflract idea, or a corporeal reprefentation, they
worihipped their tutelar deity under the fymbol of an iron cimeter 8.

One

7 Abulpharag. Dynaft. verf. Pocock, p. thirteenth century (fee the feventh volume of
^281. Genealogical Hiftory of the Tartars, the Hiftoire des Voyages), exprefs the popular
by Abulghazi Bahader Khan, part iii. c. 15. language and opinions ; Zingis is ftyled the
part iv. c. 3. Vie de Gengifcan, par Petit Son of God, &c. &c.

,de la Croix, 1. i. c. 1. 6. The relations of 8 Nec templum apud eps vifitur, aut delu-
the milTionaries, who vifited Tai tary in the brum, ne tugurium quidem culmo tedium

cemi

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

359

One of the fhepherds of the Huns perceived, that a heifer, who was cx^Xp,p'

grazing, had wounded herfelf in the foot, and curioufly followed — v >

the track of the blood, till he difcovered, among the long grafs, the ^ed/^JJ
point of an ancient fword ; which he dug out of the ground, and Mars,,
prefented to Attila. That magnanimous, or rather that artful, prince
accepted, with pious gratitude, this celeflial favour ; and, as the right-
ful pofTeflbr of the fword of Mars, afferted his divine and indefealible
claim to the dominion of the earth '. If the rites of Scythia were
praclifed on this folemn occafion, a lofty altar, or rather pile of
faggots, three hundred yards in length and in breadth, was raifed in
x fpacious plain ; and the fword of Mars was placed erect on the
fummit of this ruftic altar, which was annually confecrated by the
blood of fheep, horfes, and of the hundredth captive '°. Whether
human facrifices formed any part of the worfhip of Attila, or whether
he propitiated the god of war with the victims which he continually
offered in the field of battle, the favourite of Mars foon acquired a
facred character, which rendered his conquefts more eafy, and more
permanent ; and the Barbarian princes confeffed, in the language of
devotion or flattery, that they could not prefume to gaze, with a
fteady eye, on the divine majefty of the king of the Huns His
brother Bleda, who reigned over a confiderable part of the nation,

cerai ufquam poteft; fed glddius Barbarico 10 Herodct. 1. iv. c. 62. For the fake of
ritu humi figicur nudus, eumque ut Martem ceconomy, I have caculated by the fmalleft
regionum quas circumcircant prxfulem ve- ftadium. In the human facrifices, they cut"

recundius co'.unt. Ammian. Marcellin. xxxi. „- . * ,, , c u -n- L- 1

... , r t- j L off the moulder and arm of the victim, which-

2. and the learned Notes or Linden brogius . , ... , ,

* it ^ r they threw ur» into the air, and drew omens
ar.d Valefius. * 1

* PrifciK relates this remarkable ftory, both mA PrefaS« from the manner of their falling
in his own text (p. 65.), and in the quotation on tne P1'*-

made by Jornandes (c. 3,-. p. 662.). He " Prifcus, p. 55. A more civilized hero,

might have explained the tradition, or fable, Auguftus himfelf, was pleafed, if the perfon

which chara&erifed this famous fword, and on whom he fixed his eyes feemed unable to

the name, as well as attributes, of the Scyl fupport theif diyine luflre> s.jeton> in An.

thian deity, whom he has tranflated into the ^
Mars of the Greeks and Romans.

36o THE DECLINE AND FALL

C. H A P. was compelled to refign his fceptre, and his life. Yet even this

s»_ — , 1 cruel act was attributed to a ' fupernatural impulfe ; and the vigour

I with which Attila wielded the fword of Mars, convinced the world,
that it had been refcrved alone for his invincible arm But the ex-
tent of his empire affords the only remaining evidence of the num-
ber, and importance, of his victories ; and the Scythian monarch,
however ignorant of the value of fcience and philofophy, might,
perhaps, lament, that his illiterate fubjecls were defdtute of the art
which could perpetuate the memory of his exploits,
•nd acquires a yme Qf feparation were drawn between the civilized and the

the empire 1

of Scytbia favage climates of the globe ; between the inhabitants of cities, who

and Germa- . . 111 1 n 1 1 1

ny. cultivated the earth, and the hunters and fliepherds, who dwelt in

tents, Attila might afpire to the title of fupreme and fole monarch of
the Barbarians He alone, among the conquerors of ancient and
modern times, united the two mighty kingdoms of Germany and
Scythia ; and thofe vague appellations, when they arc applied to his
reign, may be nndcrftood with an ample latitude. Thuringia,
which flrctched beyond its actual limits, as far as the Danube, was
in the number of his provinces : he interpofed, with the weight of a
powerful neighbour, in the domeflic affairs of the Franks ; and one
of his lieutenants chaftifed, and almoft exterminated, the Burgun-
dians of the Rhine. He fubdued the iflands of the ocean, the king-
doms of Scandinavia, encompafied and divided by the waters of the
Baltic; and the Huns might derive a tribute of furs from that northern
region, which has been protected from all other conquerors by the feve-
rity of the climate, and the courage of the natives. Towards the Eaft,

11 The count de Buat (Hi/h des Peup'es audita ante fe poientia, folus Scythica et

de FEurope, torn. vii. p. 4*"*, 429.) attempts Germanica regna pofledit. Jornandes, c.49.

to clear Attila from the murder of his bro- p. 6^4. Prifcus, p. 64, 65. M. deGuigne*,

thcr ; and is almoft inclined to rejeft the by his knowledge of the Chinefe, has ac-

co-. current teAimony of Jornanuet, and the quired (torn. ii. p. 295 — 301.) an adequate

contemporary Chronicles. idea of the empire of Attila.

" Fortifiimaram gentium doininus, qui in-

OP THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

it is difficult to circumfcribe the dominion of Attila over the Scythian
deferts ; yet we may be allured, that he reigned on the banks of the
Volga ; that the king of the Huns was dreaded, not only as a war-
rior, but as a magician '* j that he infulted and vanquifhed the Khan
of the formidable Geougen ; and that he fent ambafladors to nego-
tiate an equal alliance with the empire of China. In the proud
review of the nations who acknowledged the fovereignty of Attila,
and who never entertained, during his lifetime, the thought of a
revolt, the Gepida? and the Oftrogoths were diftinguimed by their
numbers, their bravery, and the perfonal merit of their chiefs.
The renowned Ardaric, king of the Gepida?, was the faithful and
fagacious counfellor of the monarch ; who efteemed his intrepid ge-
nius, whilfl: he loved the mild and difcreet virtues of the noble
Walamir, king of the Oftrogoths. The crowd of vulgar kings, the
leaders of fo many martial tribes, who ferved under the ftandard of
Attila, were ranged in the fubmifiive order of guards and domeftics,
round the perfon of their m?fter. They watched his nod j they
trembled at his frown ; and, at the firft fignal of his will, they ex-
ecuted, without murmur or hefitation, his ftern and abfolute com-
mands. In time of peace, the dependent princes, with their na-
tional troops, attended the royal camp in regular fucceffion ; but
when Attila collected his military force, he was able to bring into
the field an army of five, or, according to another account, of feven
hundred thoufand Barbarians ".

'* See Hift. des Hans, tofn. ii. p. 296. the pride of Attila to his fubjedl kings ; and

The Geougen believed, that the Huns could his tragedy opens with thefc two ridiculoui

excite at pleafure, norms of wind and rain, lines :

This phenomenon was produced bytheftone lis ne font pas venusj rros deux rois ! qu'on
<7«s/; to whofe magic power the lofs of a leur die

battle was afcribed by the Mahometan Tar- Qu'ils fe font trop attendre, et qu'Attila
tars of the fourteenth century. See Chere- s'ennuie.

feddin Ali, Hift. de Timur Bee, -torn. i. p. The two kings of theGepida? and the Oftro-

€2, 83. gotbs are profound politicians and fenti-

15 Jornandes, c. 35. p. 661. c. 37. p. 667. mental lovers; and the whole piece cxhi-

"See Tillemont, Hift. des Empereurs, torn, bits the defects, without the genius, of the

vL p. 129. 138. Corneille has represented poet.

Vol. III. 3 A The

362

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H A P. The ambaflfadors of the Huns might awaken the attention of

Theodofius, by reminding him, that they were his neighbours both

xxxiv.

invad^Per- *n Europe and Afia ; fince they touched the Danube on one hand,
a.'d. 430— anc* reached, with the other, as far as the Tanais. In the reign of
+4°* his father Arcadius, a band of adventurous Huns had ravaged the

provinces of the Eaft ; from whence they brought away rich fpoils
and innumerable captives ,6. They advanced, by a fecret path, along
the mores of the Cafpian fea ; traverfed the fnowy mountains of
Armenia ; palTed the Tigris, the Euphrates, and the Halys ; re-
cruited their weary cavalry with the generous breed of Cappadocian
horfes ; occupied the hilly country of Cilicia, and difturbed the feftal
fongs, and dances, of the citizens of Antioch. Egypt trembled at
their approach ; and the monks and pilgrims of the Holy Land
prepared to efcape their fury by a fpeedy embarkation. The me*-
mory of this invafion was ftill recent in the minds of the Orientals.
The fubjecls of Attila might execute, with fuperior forces, the de-
fign which thefe adventurers had fo boldly attempted ; and it foon
became the fubjec"t of anxious conjecture, whether the temper! would
fall on the dominions of Rome, or of Perfia. Some of the great vaflals
of the king of the Huns, who were themfelves in the rank of power-
ful princes, had been fent to ratify an alliance and fociety of arms
with the emperor, or rather with the general, of the "Weft. They
related, during their refidence at Rome, the circumftances of an ex-

alii per Cafpia clauftra Afluetumque choris et laeta plebe ca-

Armeniafque nives, inopino tramite norum

dufti Proterit imbellem fonipes hoftilis Oron-

Invadunt Orientis opes : jam pafcua tem.

fumant Claudian, in Rufin. I.ii. 28 — 35.

Cappadocum, volucrumque parens Ar- See, likewife, in Eutrop. 1. i. 243 — 251. and

gasus equorum. the ftrong defcription of Jerom, who wrote

Jam rubet altus Halys, nec fe defendit from his feelings, tom.i. p. 26. ad Heliodor.

iniquo p. 200. ad Ocean. Philoftorgius (1. ix. c. 8.)

Monte Cilix ; Syria; traftus vailantu^ mentions this irruption.

amsni ;

pedition,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 363

CHAT.
XXXIV.

^edition, which they had lately made into the Eaft. After paffing a

defert and a raorafs, fuppofed by the Romans to be the lake Mceotis, « ,■ '

they penetrated through the mountains, and arrived, at the end of
fifteen days march, on the confines of Media ; where they advanced
as far as the unknown cities of Bafic and Curfic. They encountered
the Perfian army in the plains of Media ; and the air, according to
their own exprefiion, was darkened by a cloud of arrows. But
the Huns were obliged to retire, before the numbers of the enemy.
Their laborious retreat was effected by a different road; they loft
the greateft part of their booty ; and at length returned to the royal
camp, with fome knowledge of the country, and an impatient defire
of revenge. In the free converfation of the Imperial ambaffadors,
who difcuffed, at the court of Attila, the character and defigns of
their formidable enemy, the minifters of Conftantinople expreffed
their hope, that his ftrength might be diverted and employed in a
long and doubtfuL conteft with the princes of the houfe of Saffan.
The more fagacious Italians admonifhed their Eaftern brethren of the
folly and danger of fuch a hope; and convinced them, that the Medes
and Perfians were incapable of refifting the arms of the Huns ; and,
that the eafy and important acquifition would exalt the pride, as
well as power, of the conqueror. Inftead of contenting himfelf with
a moderate contribution, and a military title, which equalled him
only to the generals of Theodofius, Attila would proceed to impofe
a di (graceful and intolerable yoke on the necks of the proftrate and
captive Romans, who would then be encompaffed, on all fides, by
the empire of the Huns 11 .

While the powers of Europe an4 Afia were folicitous to avert the They attack
impending danger, the alliance of Attila maintained the Vandals in empire,
the poffeffion of Africa. An enterprife had been concerted between ^ 44 '*
the courts of Ravenna and Conftantinople, for the recovery of that

11 See the original converfation in Prifcus, p. 64, 6;.

3 A 2 valuable

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, valuable province ; and the ports of Sicily were already filled with
i, „r the military and naval forces of Theodofius. But the fubtle Gen-
feric, who fpread his negociations round the world, prevented their
defigns, by exciting the king of the Huns to invade the Eaftern
empire ; and a trifling incident foon became the motive, or pretence,,
of a deftruclive war ,8. Under the faith of the treaty of Margus, a
free market was held on the northern fide of the Danube, which was
protected by a Roman fortrefs, furnamed Conilantia. A troop of
Barbarians violated the commercial fecurity : killed, or difperfed, the
unfufpecting traders ; and levelled the fortrefs with the ground.
The Huns juftified this outrage as an act of reprifal ; alleged, that
the bifhop of Margus had entered their territories, to difcover and
fteal a fecret treafure of their kings ; and fternly demanded the guilty
prelate,, the facrilegious fpoil, and the fugitive fubjects, who had
efcaped from the juftice of Attila. The refufal of the Byzantine
court was the fignal of war j and the Macfians at firft applauded the.
generous firmnefs of their fovereign. But they were foon intimidated
by the deftruction of Viminiacum and the adjacent towns ; and the
people was perfuaded to adopt the convenient maxim, that a pri-
vate citizen,, however innocent or resectable, may be juftly facri-
ficed to the fafety of his country. The bifhop of Margus, who
did not poffefs the fpirit of a martyr, refolved to prevent the defigns
which he fufpected. He boldly treated with the princes of the
Huns ; fecured, by folemn oaths, his pardon and reward ; potted
a numerous detachment of Barbarians, in filent ambufh, on the banks
of the Danube ; and, at the appointed hour, opened, with his own

'* Prifcus, p. 331. His hilrory contained Marcellinus, Profper-Tyro, and the author

.1 copious and elegant account of the war of the Alexandrian, or Pafchal, Chronicle.

(Evagrius, 1. i. c. 17.); but the extracts M. de Buat (Hid. des Peuples de l'Europe,

&hich relate to the embaflies are the only torn. vii. c. xv.) has examined the caufe, the

parts that have reached our times. The ori- circumilances, and the duration, of this war;

ginal work was acceffible, however, to the and will not allow it to extend beyond the

writers, from whom we borrow our imperfect year four hundred and forty-four,
knowledge, Jornandes, Theophanes, Count

6 hand,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

hand, the gates of his epifcopal city. This advantage, which had CHAP.

X XX i V.

been obtained by treachery, ferved as a prelude to more honourable <

and decifive victories. The Illyrian frontier was covered by a line of
caftles and fortrefTes ; and though the greateft part of them con-
firmed only of a fingle tower, with a fmall garrifon, they were com-
monly fufficient to repel, or to intercq^t, the inroads of an- enemy, .
who was ignorant of the art, and impatient of the delay, of a re-
gular fiege. But thefe flight obftacles were inftantly fwept away by
the inundation of the Huns "J. They deftroyed, with fire and fword,
the populous cities of Sirmium and Singidunum, of Ratiaria and
Marcianapolis, of NailTus and Sardica ; where every circumftance, in
the difcipline of the people, and the conftruclron of the buildings,
had been gradually adapted to the fole purpofe of defence. The *n<*«*aga

. Europe, as

whole breadth of Europe, as it extends above five hundred miles ** Con-
front the Euxine to the Hadriatic, was at once invaded, and occu- in°P "
pied, and defolated, by the myriads of Barbarians whom Attila led
into the field. The public danger and diftrefs could not, however,
provoke Theodofius to interrupt his amufements and devotion, or
to appear in perforins the head of the Roman legions. But the troops,
which had - been tent againft Genferic, were haftily recalled from
Sicily ; the garrifons, on the fide of Perfia, were exhaufted ; and a
military force was collected ' in Europe, formidable by their arms
and numbers, if the generals had underftood the fcience of com-
mand, and their foldiers the duty of obedience. The armies of the
Eaftern empire were vanquifhed in three fucceffive engagements ;
and the progrefs of Attila may be traced by the fields of battle. The
two former, on the banks of the Utus, and under the walls of
Marcianapolis, were fought in the extenfive plains between the Da-

'9 Procopius, de EdiSciis, 1. iv. c. 5. Juflinian ; but they were foon deftroyed by
Thefe fortreffes were afterwards re/bored, the A bares, who fucccedcd to the power and
ftrengthened, and enlarged by the emperor polTerfions of the Huns.

nube

366 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, nube and Mount Hxmus. As the Romans were prefTed by a vie-*

„ ' torious enemy, they gradually, and unfkilfully, retired towards the

Cherfonefus of Thrace ^ and that narrow peninfula, the laft extre-»
mity of the land, was marked by their third, and irreparable, de-
feat. By the deltruction of this army, Attila acquired the indis-
putable pofleffion of the field. From the Hellefpont to Thermopylae,
and the luburbs of Conftantinople, he ravaged, without refiftance,
and without mercy, the provinces of Thrace and Macedonia. Hera-
clea and Hadrianople might, perhaps, efcape this dreadful irruption
of the Huns ; but the words, the moft expreflive of total extirpa-
tion and erafure, are applied to the calamities which they infli&ed
on feventy cities of the Eallern empire 2°. Tlieodofius, his court,
and the unwarlike people, were protected by the walls of Conftan-
tinople ; but thofe walls had been fhaken by a recent earthquake, and
the fall of fifty-eight towers had opened a large and tremendous
breach. The damage indeed was fpeedily repaired ; but this acci-
dent was aggravated by a fuperftitious fear, that Heaven itfelf had
delivered the Imperial city to the fhepherds of Scythia, who were
ftrangers to the laws, the language, and the religion, of the Ro-
mans

TheScythi- In all their invafions of the civilized empires of the South, the
wars.rTamr' Scythian mepherds have been uniformly actuated by a favage and
deftru&ive fpirit. The laws of war, that reftrain the exercife of
national rapine and murder, are founded on two principles of fub-
ftantial intereft : the knowledge of the permanent benefits which may
be obtained by a moderate ufe of conqueft; and a juft apprehenlion,

20 Septuagintacivitates (faysProfper-Tyro) this memorable earthquake; which was felt

depra;datione vaftat.-e. The language of count as far from Conftantinople as Antioch and

Marcellinus is ftill more forcible. Pene totam Alexandria, and is celebrated by all the eccle-

Europanr, invafis excifijijue civitatibus atque fiaftical writers. In the hands of a popular

eaftellis, conrajit. peacher, an earthquake is an engine of ad-

ai Tillemont (Hift. des Empereurs, torn, mirable effect.
vL p. io6, 107.) has paid great attention t

5 left

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

left the defolation which we inflict on the enemy's country, may be
retaliated on our own. But thefe confederations of hope and fear
are almoft unknown in the paftoral ftate of nations. The Huns of
Attila may, without injuftice, be compared to the Moguls and Tar-
tars, before their primitive manners were changed by religion and
luxury ; and the evidence of Oriental hiftory may reflect fome light
on the fhort and imperfect annals of Rome. After the Moguls had
fubdued the northern provinces of China, it was feripufly pro-
pofed, not in the hour of victory and paffion, but in calm delibe-
rate council, to exterminate all the inhabitants of that populous
country, that the vacant land might be converted to the pafture of
cattle. The firmnefs of a Chinefe mandarin ie, who infmuated fome
principles of rational policy into the mind of Zingis, diverted him
from the execution of this horrid defign. But in the cities of Afia,
which yielded to the Moguls, the inhuman abufe of the rights of war
was exercifed, with a regular form of difcipline, which may, with
equal reafon, though not with equal authority, be imputed to the
victorious Huns. The inhabitants, who had fubmitted to their dis-
cretion, were ordered to evacuate their houfes, and to affemble in
fome plain adjacent to the city ; where a divifion was made of the
vanquifhed into three parts. The firft"clafs confuted of the foldiers of
the garrifon, and of the young men capable of bearing arms j and
their fate was inftantly decided : they were either inlifted among the
Moguls, or they were malTaered on the fpot by the troops, who,
with pointed fpears and bended bows, had formed a circle round
the captive multitude. The fecond clafs, compofed of the young and
beautiful women, of the artificers of every rank and profeflion, and

** He reprefsnted, to the emperor of the 800,000 pieces of filk. Gaubil. Hilt, de la

Moguls, that the four provinces (Petcheli, Dynaftie des Mongous, p. 58, 59. Yelut-

Chantong, Chanfi, and Leaotong) which he choufay (fuch was the name of the mandarin)

already poflefled, might annually produce, was a wife and virtuous minifter, who faved

under a mild adminiltration, 500,000 ounces his country, and civilized the conquerors,

•f filver, 400,000 meafures of rice, and See p, 102, 103.

368

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, of the more wealthy or honourable citizens, from whom a private

■XXXIV. 7 1

— v ' ranfom might be expected, was diftributed in equal or proportionable

lots. The remainder, whofe life or death was alike ufelefs to the
conquerors, were permitted to return to the city ; which, in the
mean while, had been ftripped of its valuable furniture ; and a tax
was impofed on thofe wretched inhabitants for the indulgence of
breathing their native air. Such was the behaviour of the Moguls,
when they were not confcious of any extraordinary rigour *\ But
the moft cafual provocation, the flighteft motive, of caprice or con-
venience, often provoked them to involve a whole people in an in-
difcriminate mafTacre : and the ruin of fome flourifhing cities was
executed with fuch unrelenting perfeverance, that, according to their
own expreffion, horfes might run, without {tumbling, over the
ground where they had once ftood. The three great capitals of-Kho-
rafan, Maru, Neifabour, and Herat, were deftroyed by the armies
of Zingis ; and the exact account, which was taken of the flain,
amounted to four millions three hundred and forty-feven thoufand
perfons M. Timur, or Tamerlane, was educated in a lefs barbarous
age ; and in the profefJion of the Mahometan religion : yet, if Attila
equalled the hoftile ravages of Tamerlane ls, either the Tartar or the
Hun might deferve the epithet of the Scourge of God16.

*• Particular inllances would be endlefs ; his camp before Delhi, Timur maflacred
but the curious reader may confult the life of 100,000 Indian prifoners who h&dfmi/et/ when
Gengifcan, by Petit de la Croix, the lliltoire the army of their countrymen appeared in
des Mongous, and the fifteenth book of the fight (Hift.de Timur Bee, tom.iii. p. 90.).
Hillory of the Huns. The people of Ifpahan fupplied 70,000 hu-

** At Maru, 1,300,000 ; at Herat, man iculls for the ftru&ure of feveral lofty
1,600,000; atNeifabour, 1,747,000. D'Her- towers (Id. torn i. p. 434.). A fimilar tax
bclot, Bibliothcque Orientalc, p. 380, 381. was levied on the revolt of Bagdad (torn. iii.
I ufe the orthography of d'Anville's maps. p. 370.) ; and the exatf account, which Che-
It mull however be allowed, that the Per- refeddin was not able to procure from the
funs were difpofed to exaggerate their lofle*, proper officers, is ftated by another hiltorian
and the Moguls, to magnify their exploits. (Ahmed Arabfiada, torn. ii. p. 175; verf.

*s Chercfeddin AH, his fervile panegyrift, Manger) at 90,000 heads,
would afford as many horrid example*. In 16 The ancients, Jornandes, Prifcus, Sec

are

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

It may be affirmed, with bolder aflurance, that the Huns depo- c ^ ^ p-
pulated the provinces of the empire, by the number of Roman 1 •> '

• • • t i State of the

fubjects whom they led away into captivity. In the hands of a wife captives,
legiflator, fuch an induftrious colony might have contributed to dif-
fufe, through the deferts of Scythia, the rudiments of the ufeful and
ornamental arts ; but thefe captives, who had been taken in war,
were accidentally difperfed among the hords, that obeyed the empire
of Attila. The cftimate of their refpective value was formed by the
fimple judgment of unenlightened, and unprejudiced, Barbarians.
Perhaps they might not underftand the merit of a theologian,
profoundly fkilled in the controverfies of the Trinity and the
Incarnation : yet they refpedled the minifters of every religion ;
and the active zeal of the Chriftian mifTionaries, without approaching
the perfon, or the palace, of the monarch, fuccefsfully laboured in
the propagation of the gofpel %T, The paftoral tribes, who were ig-
norant of the diftinclion of landed property, muft have difregarded
the ufe, as well as the abufe, of civil jurifprudencc ; and the fkill of
an eloquent lawyer could excite only their contempt, or their ab-
horrence *\ The perpetual intercourfe of the Huns and the Goths
had communicated the familiar knowledge of the two national dia-
lects ; and the Barbarians were ambitious of converfing in Latin, the

are ignorant of this epithet. The modern fecure of gaining the fons and grandfons of

. . Hungarians have imagined, that it was ap- Zingis, who treated the rival miflionaries

plied, by a hermit of Gaul, to Attila, who with impartial favour.

was pleafed to infert it among the titles of his 18 The Germans, who exterminated Varus

royal dignity. Mafcou, ix. 23. and Tille- and his legions, had been particularly of-

mont, Hill, des Empereurs, torn. vi. p. 143. fended with the R6man laws and lawyers.

aT The miflionaries of St. Chryfoftom had One of the Barbarians, after the effectual

converted great numbers of the Scythians, precautions of cutting out the tongue of an

who dwelt, beyond the Danube, in tents and advocate, and fewing up his mouth, obferved,

waggons. Theodoret, 1. v. c. 31. Photius, with much fatisfadtion,. that the viper could

p. 1 5 17. The Mahometans, the Neftorians, no longer hifs. Florus, iv. 12.
and the Latin Chrillians, thought themfelves

Vol. III.

military

THE DECLINE AND FALL

military idiom, even of the Eaftern empire *9. But they difdained
the language, and the fciences, of the Greeks ; and the vain fophift,
or grave philofopher, who had enjoyed the flattering applaufe of the
fchools, was mortified to find, that his robuft fervant was a captive
of more value and importance than himfelf. The mechanic arts
were encouraged and efteemed, as they tended to fatisfy the wants
of the Huns. An architect, in the fervice of Onegefius, one of the
favourites of Attila, was employed to conftrutt a bath ; but this
work was a rare example of private luxury ; and the trades of the
fmith, the carpenter, the armourer, were much more adapted to
fupply a wandering people with the ufeful inftruments of peace and
war. But the merit of the phyfician was received with univerfai
favour and refpect ; the Barbarians, who defpifed death, might be
apprehenfive of difeafe ; and the haughty conqueror trembled in the
prefence of a captive, to whom he afcribed, perhaps, an imaginary
power, of prolonging, or preferring, his life 3°. The Huns might
be provoked to infult the mifery of their flaves, over whom they
exercifed a defpotic command 3,j but their manners were not fufcep-
tible of a refined fyftem of opprefhon ; and the efforts of courage
and diligence were often recompenfed by the gift of freedom. The
hiftorian Prifcus, whofe embaffy is a fource of curious inftru&ion,
was accofted, in the camp of Attila, by a ftranger, who faluted him
in the Greek language, but whofe d'refs and figure difplayed the

119 Prifcus, p. 59. It fhould feem, that 31 Prifcus (p. 61.) extols the equity of the

the Huns preferred the Gothic and Latin Roman laws, which protected the life of a

languages to their own ; which was proba- Aave. Occidere folent (fays Tacitus of the

bly a harm and barren idiom. - Germans) non difciplin" et feveritate, fed im-

30 Philip de Comines, in his admirable petu et ira, ut inimicum, nifi qudd impune.

pifture of the laft moments of Lewis XL De Moribus Germ. c. 25. The Heruli, who

(Memoires,. Lvi. c. 12.) reprefents the info- were the fubjefts of Attila, claimed, and ex-

lence of his phyfician, who, in five months, ercifed, the power of life and death over their

extorted 54,000 crowns, and a rich bifhopric, flaves. See a remarkable inftance in the fe-

from the Item avaricious tyrant. cond book of Agathias.

2 - appearance.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 371

appearance of a wealthy Scythian. In the fiege of Vlminiacum, chap.

X X X i V .

he had loft, according to his own account, his fortune and liberty :
he became the flave of Onegefius; but his faithful fervices, againft
the Romans and the Acatzires, had gradually railed him to the rank
of the native Huns ; to whom he was attached by the domeftic
pledges of a new wife and feveral children. The fpoils of war had
reftored and improved his private property ; he was admitted to the
table of his former lord ; and the apoftate Greek blefied the hour of
his captivity, fmce it had been the introduction to an happy and in-
dependent ftate ; which he held by the honourable tenure of military
fervice. This reflection naturally produced a difpute on the advan-
tages, and defects, of the Roman government, which was feverely
arraigned by the apoftate, and defended by Prifcus in a prolix and
feeble declamation. The freedman of Onegefius expofed, in true
and lively colours, the vices of a declining empire, of which he had
fo long been the victim ; the cruel abfurdity of the Roman princes,
unable to protect their fubjects againft the public enemy, unwilling
to truft them with arms for their own defence ; the intolerable
weight of taxes, rendered ftill more oppreffive by the intricate or
arbitrary modes of collection ; the obfcurity of numerous and con-
tradictory laws ; the tedious and expenfive forms of judicial pro-
ceedings; the partial adminiftration of juftice ; and the univerfal
corruption, which increafed the influence of the rich, and aggravated
the misfortunes of the poor. A fentiment of patriotic fympathy was
at length revived in the breaft of the fortunate exile ; and he la-
mented, with a flood of tears, the guilt or weaknefs of thofe magi-
ftrates, who had perverted the wifeft and molt falutary inftitu-

tions 3\

3Z See the whole converfation in Prifcus, p. 59—62.

3 B 2 The

■1

72 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CH^P. The timid, or felfifh, policy of the weftern Romans had aban-

XXXI V a

« u ' doned the Eaftern empire to the Huns ". The lofs of armies, and

peace^be- the want of difcipline, or virtue, were not fupplied by the perfonal
IndThfEafl- character of the monarch. Theodofius might ftill affect the ftyle, as
A^D^ll' we^ as t^lc ^^e» °^ Inv'mciMe Angujius ; but he was reduced to folicit
the clemency of Attila, who imperioufly dictated thefe harm and
humiliating conditions of peace. I. The emperor of the Eait re-
figned, by an exprefs or tacit convention, an extenfive and important
territory, which ftretched along the fouthern banks of the Danube,
from Singidunum or Belgrade, as far as Novas, in the diocefe of
Thrace. The breadth was defined by the vague computation of fifteen
days journey; but, from the propofal of Attila, to remove the fitua-
tion of the national market, it foon appeared, that he comprehended
the ruined city of Naiffus within the limits of his dominions.
II. The kingt)f the Huns required, and obtained, that his tribute or
fubfidy mould be augmented from feven hundred pounds of gold to
the annual fum of two thoufand one hundred ; and he ftipulated the
immediate payment of fix thoufand pounds of gold to defray the
expences, or to expiate the guilt, of the war. One might imagine,
that fuch a demand, which fcarcely equalled the meafure of private
wealth, would have been readily difcharged by .he opulent empire
of the Eaft ; and the public diftrefs affords a remarkable proof of the
impoverimed, or at leaft of the diforderly, ftate of the finances. A
large proportion of the taxes, extorted from the people, was detained
and intercepted in their paffage, through the fouleft channels, to the
treafury of Conftantinople. The revenue was diffipated by Theodo-
fius, and his favourites, in wafteful and profufe luxury; which was

33 Nova iterum Orienti affurgit ruina .... in the Weft ; and his obfervation implies a
quum nulla ab Occidentalibus ferrentur auxi- cenfure,
lia, Profper-Tyro campofed his Chronicle

difguifed

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 373
difguifed by the names of Imperial magnificence, or Chriftian cha- CHAP.

XXXIV.

rity. The immediate fupplies had been exhaufted by the unfore- <- r-. '
feen neceflity of military preparations. A perfonal contribution,
rigoroufly, but capricioufly, impofed on the members of the fe-
natorian order, was the only expedient that could difarm, without
lofs of time, the impatient avarice of Attila : and the poverty of the
nobles compelled them to adopt the fcandalous refource of expofmg
to public auction the jewels of their wives, and the hereditary or-
naments of their palaces III. The king of the Huns appears to
have eftablifhed, as a principle of national jurifprudence, that he
could never lofe the property, which he had once acquired, in the
perfons, who had yielded either a voluntary, or reluctant, fubmil-
fion to his authority. From this principle he concluded, and the
conclufions of Attila were irrevocable laws, that the Huns, who
had been taken prifoners in war, mould be releafed without delay,
and without ranfom ; that every Roman captive, who had prefumed
to efcape, fhould purchafe his right to freedom at the price of twelve ,
pieces of gold ; and that all the Barbarians, who had deferted the
ftandard of Attila, fhould be reftored, without any promife, or
ftipulation, of pardon. In the execution of this cruel and igno-
minious treaty, the Imperial officers were forced to maflacre feveral
loyal and noble deferters, who refufed to devote themfelves to certain
death ; and the Romans forfeited all reafonable claims to the friend-
fhip of any Scythian people, by this public confeffion, that they
were deftitute either of faith, or power, to protect the fuppliants, who
had embraced the throne of Theodofius 35.

The

34 According to the defcription, or rather weight of forty pounds, cups, difhes of the
inveftive, of Chryfoftom, an auftion of By- fame metal, &c.

zantine luxury mull have been very produc- 35 The articles of the treaty, expre/Fed
tive. Every wealthy houfe poffefled a femi- without much order or precifion, may be
circular table of mafly filver, fuch as two men found in Prifcus (p. 34, 35, 36, 37. 53, &c).
could fcarcely lift, a vafe of folid gold of the Count MarceUinus difpenfes fome comfort,

374

THE DECLINE AND FALL

tines.

CHAP. The firmnefs of a (ingle town, fo obfcure, that, except on this
v__— v — —r occafion, it has never been mentioned by any hiftorian or geogra-
Azimun- * * pher, expofed the difgrace of the emperor and empire. Azimus, or
Azimuntium, a fmall city of Thrace on the Illyrian borders 36, had
been diftinguifhed by the martial fpirit of its youth, the (kill and
reputation of the leaders whom they had chofen, and their daring
exploits againft the innumerable hoft of the Barbarians. Inftead of
tamely expecting their approach, the Azimuntines attacked, in fre-
quent and fuccefsful fallies, the troops of the Huns, who gradually
declined the dangerous neighbourhood ; refcued from their hands the
fpoil and the captives, and recruited their domeflic force by the vo-
luntary affociation of fugitives and deferters. After the conclufion
of the treaty, Attila Hill menaced the empire with implacable war,
unlefs the Azimuntines were perfuaded, or compelled, to comply
with the conditions which their fovereign had accepted. The mi-
nifters of Theodofius confefTed with fhame, and with truth, that they
no longer polTeffed any authority over a fociety of men, who fo
bravely aiTerted their natural independence ; and the king of the
Huns condefcended to negociate an equal exchange with the citizens
of Azimus. They demanded the reftitution of fome fhepherds, who,
with their cattle, had been accidentally furprifed. A ftrid:, though
fruitlefs, inquiry was allowed : but the Huns were obliged to fwear,
that they did not detain any prifoners belonging to the city, before
they could recover two furviving countrymen, whom the Azimun-
tines had referved as pledges for the fafety of their loft companions.

by obferving, ift, That Attila himfelf foli- ficiis, 1. iv. c. xi. torn. ii. p. 92. edit. Paris),

cited the peace and prefents, which he had there is one of the name of EJimontou, whofe

formerly refufed ; and, 2dly, That, about pofition is doubtfully marked, in the neigh-

the fame time, the ambafladors of India bourhood of Anchialus, and the Euxine Sea.

prefented a fine large tame tyger to the The name and walls of Azimuntium might

emperor Theodofius. fubfift till the reign of Jullinian ; but the

36 Prifcus, p. 35, 36. Among the hun- race of its brave defenders had been care-

.dred and eighty-two forts, or caftles, of fully extirpated by the jcaloufy of the Roman

Thrace, enumerated by Procopius (de Edi- princes.

Attila,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

375

Attila, on his fide, was fatisfied, and deceived, by their folemn af- CX^X^VP"
feveration, that the reft of the captives had been put to the fword ; <— ;
and that it was their conftant practice, immediately to difmifs the
Romans and the deferters, who had obtained the fecurity of the pub-
lic faith. This prudent and officious diffimulation may be con-
demned, or excufed, by the cafuifts, as they incline to the rigid de-
cree of St. Auguftin, or to the milder fentiment of St. Jerom and
St. Chryfoftom : but every foldier, every ftatefman, rauft acknow-
ledge, that, if the ra.ce of the Azimuntines had been encouraged and
multiplied, the Barbarians would have ceafed to trample on the
majefty of the empire ".

It would have been ftrange, indeed, if Theodofius had purchafed, Embaflies
by the lofs of honour, a fecure and folid tranquillity ; or if his tame- t^Conftanti-
nefs had not invited the repetition of injuries. The Byzantine court nopIe*
was infulted by five or fix fucceflive embaflies 38 ; and the minifters
of Attila were uniformly inftructed to prefs the tardy or imperfect
execution of the laft treaty ; to produce the names of fugitives and
deferters, who were ftill protected by the empire ; and to declare,
with feeming moderation, that unlefs their ibvereign obtained com-
plete and immediate fatisfacticn, it would be impoflible for him,
were it even his wifh, to check the refentment of his warlike tribes.
Befides the motives of pride and intereft, which might prompt the
king of the Huns to continue this train of negociation, he was in-
fluenced by the lefs honourable view of enriching his favourites at
the expence of his enemies. The Imperial treafury was exhaufted,

37 The peevifli difpnte of St. Jerom and 33 Montefquieu (Confederations fur la

St. Auguftin, who laboured, by different Grandeur, &c. c. xix.) has delineated, with

expedients, to reconcile the feeming quarrel a bold and eafy pencil, fome of the moll

of the two apoftles St. Peter and S:. Paul, ftriking circumftances of the pride of Attila,

depends on the folution of an important and the difgrace of the Romans. He de-

queftion (Middleton's Works, vol. ii. p. 5 ferves the praife of having read the Frag-

— 10.), which has been frequently agitated ments cf Prifcus, which have been too much

by Catholic and Protectant divines, and even difregarded..
by lawyers and philofophers of every age.

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. t0 procure the friendly offices of the ambafladors, and their principal

— v ' attendants, whofe fa . ourable report might conduce to the maintenance

of peace. The Barbarian monarch was flattered by the liberal re-
ception of his minifteis ; he computed with pleafure the value and
fplendour of their gifts, rigoroufly exacted the performance of every
promife, which would contribute to their private emolument, and
treated as an important bufmefs of ftate, the marriage of his fecretary
Conftantius 39. That Gallic adventurer, who was recommended by-
iEtius to the king of the Huns, had engaged his fervice to the mini-
fters of Conftantinople, for the flipulated reward of a wealthy and
noble wife ; and the daughter of count Saturninus was chofen to dis-
charge the obligations of her country. The reluctance of the victim,
fome domeftic troubles, and the unjuft confifcation of her fortune,
cooled the ardour of her intereited lover ; but he ftill demanded, in
the name of Attila, an equivalent alliance ; and, after many ambi-
guous delays and excufes, the Byzantine court was compelled to fa-
crifice to this infolent ftranger the widow of Armatius, whofe birth,
opulence, and beauty, placed her in the moft illuftrious rank of the
Roman matrons. For thefe importunate and opprellive embaflies,
Attila claimed a fuitable return : he weighed, with fufpicious pride,
the character and ftation of the Imperial envoys ; but he conde-
fcended to promife, that he would advance as far as Sardica, to re-
ceive any minifters who had been inverted with the confular dignity.
The council of Theodofius eluded this propo&l, by reprefenting the
defolate and ruined condition of Sardica ; and even ventured to in-
finuate, that ever}7 officer of the army or houfehold was qualified to
treat with the moft powerful princes of Scythia. Maximin *°, a

refpedable

s# See Pnfcus, p. 69. 71, 72, &.c. I fwo perfons of the name of Conftantius,
would fain believe, that this adventurer was who, from the f:milar events of their lives,
afterwards crucified by the order of Attila, might have been eafily confounded,
•on a fufpicion of treafonabie practices : but 40 In the Perfian treaty concluded in the
Prifcus (p. 57.) has too plainly diftinguiftied year 422, the wife and eloquent Maximin
3 had

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 377

srefpectable courtier, whofe abilities had been long exercifed in civil c *J A p-

and military employments, accepted with reluctance the trouble- v — /

fome, and, perhaps, dangerous com million, of reconciling the angry
fpirit of the king of the Huns. His friend, the hiflorian Prifcus **,
embraced the opportunity of obferving the Barbarian hero in the
peaceful and domeftic fcenes of life : but the fecret of the embafly,
a fatal and guilty fecret, was entrufted only to the interpreter Vigi-
lius. The two laft ambafladors of the Huns, Oreftes, a noble fub-
ject of the Pannonian province, and Edecon, a valiant chieftain of
the tribe of the Scyrri, returned at the fame time from Conftanti-
nople to the royal camp. Their obfeure names were afterwards il-
liiflratcd by the .extraordinary fortune and the contraft of their fons :
the two fer vants of Attila became the fathers of the laft Roman em-
peror of the Weft, and of the firPc Barbarian king of Italy.

The ambafladors, who were followed by a numerous train of men The embnrty
and horfes, made their firft halt at Sardica, at the diftance of three ^Min™*
hundred and fifty miles, or thirteen days journey, from Conftanti- A" D- H8,
cople. As- the remains of Sardica were ftill included within the
limits of the empire, it was incumbent on the Romans to exercife
the duties of hospitality. They provided, with the afliftance of the
provincials, a fiiiTicient number of fheep and oxen ; and invited the
Huns to a fplendid, or at lead a plentiful, flipper. But the har-
mony of the entertainment was foon difturbed by mutual prejudice

had been the afiViTor of Ardaburius (Socrates, 41 Prifcus was a native of Panium in

h vii. c. 20.). When Marcian afcended Thrace, and deferved, by his eloquence, an

the throne, the office of Great Chamberlain honourable place among the fophifts of the
was bellowed on Maximin who is ranked m Byzantine Mft which

in a public edi&, among the four principal .. . .....

. •.* r n ,vr 11 j J r> j to his own times, was compnicd in fevea
minifters of ftate (Novell, ad Calc. Cod. . /

Theod. p. 31.). He executed a civil and books- See Fabrics, Bibhot. Gnec torn.

military commiffion in the Eaitern provinces ; vi. p. 235, 236. Notwithftanding the cha-

and his death was lamented by the ravages of ritable judgment of the critics, I fufpeft that

Ethiopia, whofe incurfions he had rcprefleJ. Prifcus was a Pagan.

See Prifqus, p. 40, £!.

Vol. III. \ G and

THE DECLINE AND FALL

and indifcrction. The greatnefs of the emperor and the empire Was.
warmly maintained by their minifters ; the Huns, with equal ar-
dour, aflerted the fuperiority of tlicir victorious monarch : the dif-
pute was inflamed by the rafh and unfcafonablc flattery of Vigilius,
who paflionately rejc&cd the comparifon of a mere mortal with the
divine Thcodollus ; and it wras with extreme difficulty that Maximin
and Prifcus were able to divert the converfation, or to foothe the
angry minds of the Barbarians. When they rofe from table, the
Imperial ambaflador prefented Edecon and Oreftes with rich gifts of
filk robes and Indian pearls, which they thankfully accepted. Yet
Oreftes could not forbear infmuating, that be had not always been
treated with fuch refpect and liberality : and the offenfive diftindtion,
which was implied, between his civil office and the hereditary rank
of his colleague, feems to have made Edecon a doubtful friend, and
Oreftes an irreconcileable enemy. After this entertainment, they
travelled about one hundred miles from Sardica to Naiffiis. That
flourilhing city, which had given birth to the great Conftantine, was
levelled with the ground : the inhabitants were deftroyed, or dif-
pcrl'cd ; and the appearance of fome lick perfons, who were ftill per-
mitted to cxift among the ruins of the churches,, ferved only to in-
creafe the horror of the profpect. The furface of the country was
covered with the bones of the flain ; and the ambaffiidors, who di-
rected their courfe to the north-weft, were obliged to pafs the hills
of modern Scrvia, before they defcended into the flat and marfliy
grounds, which are terminated by the Danube. The Huns were
mafteES of the great river : their navigation was performed in large
canoes, hollowed out of the trunk of a fingle tree ; the minifters of
Thcodofius were fafely landed on the oppofite bank ; and their Bar-
barian aflfociates immediately haftened to the camp of Attila, which
was equally prepared for the amufements of hunting, or of war. No
* fooner

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

fooner had Maximin advanced about two miles from the Danube, C1H

x x i

than he began to experience the faftidious infolence of the conqueror, d -» — *j
He was fternly forbid to pitch his tents in a pleafant valley, left he
mould infringe the diftant awe that was due to the royal manfion.
The minifters of Attila prefTed him to communicate the bufmefs, and
the inftructions, which he referved for the ear of their fovereign.
When Maximin temperately urged the contrary practice of na-
tions, he was ftill more confounded to find, that the refolutions of
the Sacred Confiftory, thofe fecrets (fays Prifcus) which fliould not
be revealed to the gods themfelves, had been treacheroufly difclofcd
to the public enemy. On his refufal to comply with fuch ignomi-
nious terms, the Imperial envoy was commanded inftantly to de-
part : the order was recalled ; it was again repeated ; and the Huns
renewed their ineffectual attempts to fubdue the patient firmnefs of
Maximin. At length, by the interceffion of Scotta, the brother of
Onegefius, whofe friendship had been purchafcd by a liberal gift, he
was admitted to the royal prefence ; but, inftead of obtaining a de-
cifive anfwer, he was compelled to undertake a remote journey to-
wards the North, that Attila might enjoy the proud fatisfadion of
receiving, in the fame camp, the ambaffadors of the Eaftern and
Weftern empires. His journey was regulated by the guides, who
obliged him to halt, to haften his march, or to deviate from the com-
mon road, as it beft fuited the convenience of the King. The Romans
who traverfed the plains of Hungary, fuppofe that they pafTed fcvcral
navigable rivers, either in canoes or portable boats ; but there is reafon
to fiifpedt, that the winding dream of the Teyfs, or Tibifcus, might
prefent itfelf in different places, under different names. From the conti-
guous villages they received a plentiful and regular fupply of provi-
fions ; mead inftead of wine, millet in the place of bread, and a certain
liquor named Camus, which, according to the report of Prifcus, was diftil-

3 C 2 led

THE DECLINE AND FALL

led from barley*1. Such fare might appear conrfe and indelicate to merr-
who had tafted the luxury of Constantinople : but, in their acci-
dental diftrefs, they were relieved by the gentlenefs and hofpitality of
the fame Barbarians, fo terrible and fo mercilefs in war. The am-
baliadors had encamped on the edge of a large morafs. A violent
tempeft of wind and rain, of thunder and lightning, overturned
their tents, immerfed their baggage and furniture in the water, and
fcattered their retinue, who wandered in the darknefs of the night,
uncertain of their road, and apprehenfive of fome unknown danger,
till they awakened by their cries the inhabitants of. a neighbouring
village, the property of the widow of. Bleda. A bright illumina-
tion, and, in a few moments, a. comfortable fire of reeds, was kin-
dled by their officious benevolence : the wants, and even the defire?,
of the Romans were liberally fatisfied ; and they feem to have been
embarralTed by the fingular politenels of Bleda's widow, who added
to her other favours the gift, or at leaft the loan, of a fufficient num-
ber of beautiful and obfequious damfels. The funfhine of the fuc-
ceeding day was dedicated to repofe ; to collect and dry the baggage,
and to the refrefhment of the men and horfes : but, in the evening,
before they purfued their journey, the ambafladors expreffed their
gratitude to the bounteous lady of the village, by a very acceptable
prefent of filver cups, red fleeces, dried fruits, and Indian pepper.
Soon after this adventure, they rejoined the march of Attila, from
whom they had been feparated about fix days ; and flowlv pro-
ceeded to the capital of an empire, which did not contain, in the
fpace of feveral thoufand miles, a fingle city.

41 The Huns themfelves fiill continued to (P;ifcu?, p. 45.)- In the fame mamer the

defpife the labours of agriculture : theyabufed Sarts and Tacgics provide for their own fub-

the privilege of a victorious nation ; and the Mence, and for that of the Ufbec Tartars,

Goths, their* mduftrious fubjects who culti- their lazy and rapacious fovereigns. See

vated the earth, dreaded their neighbour- Genealogical Hilton' of the Tartars, p. 423^

Bcod, like that of fo many ravenous wolves 455, &£•

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 38*

CHAP.
XXXIV.
, —

palace

As far as we may afcertain the vague and obfcure geography of
Fflfcus, this capital appears to have been feated between the Danube,

-TT TT The royal

the Teyfs, and the Carpathian hills, in the plains of Upper Hungary, village and
and moft probably in the neighbourhood of Jazberin, Agria, or To-
kay43. In its origin it could be no more than an accidental camp,which,
by the long and frequent refidence of Attila, had infenfibly fwelled
into a huge village, for the reception of his court, of the troops who
followed his perfon, and of the various multitude of idle or indus-
trious Haves and retainers ++. The baths, conftructed by Onegefius,
were the only edifice of (tone; the materials had been tranfported
from Pannonia ; and fince the adjacent country was deftitute even
of large timber, it may be prefumed, that the meaner habitations of
the royal village confrfted of ftraw, of mud, or of canvas. The
wooden houfes of the more illuftrious Huns, were built and adorned
with rude magnificence, according to the rank, the fortune, or the
tafte of the proprietors. They feem to have been diftributed with
fome degree of order and fymmetry ; and each fpot became more
honourable, as it approached the perfon of the fovereign. The
palace of Attila, which furpafTed all other houfes in his dominions,
was built entirely of wood, and covered an ample fpace of ground.
The outward enclofure was a lofty wall, or pallifade, of fmocth
fquare timber, interfered with high towers, but intended rather for

;3 It is evident, that Prifcus pa/Ted the compared to the city of Karacorum, there-
Danube and the Teyfs*, and that he did not fidence of the' fuccefibrs of Zingis ; which,
reach the foot of the Carpathian hills. Agru, though it appears to have been a more ftable
Tokay, and Jazberin, 2re fituate in the habitation, did not equal the fize or fplendor
plains circumfcribed by this definition. M- of the town and abbey of St. Denys, in the
de Buat (Hiitoire des Peupies, Lc. torn. yK;' 15th century (fee Rubruquis, in the Hiftoire
p, 461.) has chofen Tokay; Oaokoici (p. Generate c^s Voyages, torn. vif. p. 286.).
180. apud Mafcou, ix. 23.), a ler.rned Hun- The camp of Aurengzebe, as it is fo agrec-
garian, has preferred Jazberin, a place about ably deicribed by Bernier(tom. ii. p. 2 17 —
thirty-fix miles weftward of Buda and the 259.), blended the manners cf Scythia with

•^nube- the magnificence and luxury of Hindollan.

** The roval village of Attila rr.av be

ornament

THE DECLINE AND PALL

c H A p. ornament than defence. This wall, which feems to have encircled

aAaI V •

v- — — < t the declivity of a hill, comprehended a great variety of wooden edi-
fices, adapted to the ufes of royalty. A feparate houfe was affigned
to each of the numerous wives of Attila ; and, inftead of the rigid and
illiberal confinement impofed by Afiatic jealoufy, they politely admit-
ted the Roman ambafiadors to their prefence, their table, and even to
the freedom of an innocent embrace. When Maximin offered his
prefents to Cerca, the principal queen, he admired the fingular archi-
tecture of her manfion, the height of the round columns, the fize and
beauty of the wood, which was curioufly fhaped or turned, or po-
lifhed, or carved ; and his attentive eye was able to difcover fome
tafte in the ornaments, and fome regularity in the proportions. After
pafiing through the guards, who watched before the gate, the am-
bafiadors were introduced into the private apartment of Cerca. The
wife of Attila received their vifit fitting, or rather lying, on a foft
couch ; the floor was covered with a -carpet ; the domeftics formed a
circle round the queen ; and her damfels, feated on the ground,
were employed in working the variegated embroidery which adorned
the drefs of the Barbaric warriors. The Huns were ambitious of
diiplaying thofe riches which were the fruit and evidence of their
victories: the trappings of their horfes, their fwords, and even their
ihoes, were ftudded with gold and precious ftones ; and their tables
were profufely fpread with plates, and goblets, and vafes of gold and
filver, which had been fafhioned by the labour of Grecian artifts.
The monarch alone afluiried the fuperior pride of ftill adhering to
the fimplicity of his Scythian anceftors 4S. The drefs of Attila, his
arms, and the furniture of his horfe, were plain, without ornament,
and of a fmgle colour. The royal table was ferved in wooden

45 When the Moguls displayed the fpoils feated, when he was raifed to the command
of .Alia, in the diet of Toncal, the throne of of his warlike countrymen. See Vie de Gen- .
Zingis was ftill covered with the original gifcan, 1. iv. c. o.
i^ack felt carpet, on which he had been

cups

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

3S3

cups and platters; fiefh was his only food; and the conqueror of the CXS™'
North never tailed the luxury of bread. 1 1

When Attila firft gave audience to the Roman ambaffadors on the Thebehavi-

. rr 1 • 1 r • i i i our °f Attila.

banks of the Danube, his tent was encompalied with a formidable to the Roman
guard. The monarch himfelf was feated in a wooden chair. His ambafIador-'-
ftern countenance, angry geftures, and impatient tone, aftonifhed
the flrmnefs of Maximin ; but Vigilius had more reafon to tremble,,
fince he diftinctly underftood the menace, that if Attila did not re-
fpect the law of nations, he would nail the deceitful interpreter to a
crofs, and leave his body to the vultures. The Barbarian conde-
fcended, by producing an accurate lift, to expofe the bold falfehood
of Vigilius, who had affirmed that no more than feventeen deferters
could be found. But he arrogantly declared, that he apprehended
only the difgrace of contending with his fugitive flaves ; fince
he defpifed their impotent efforts to defend the provinces which
Theodofms had entrufted to their arms : " For what fortrefs" (added
Attila), " what city, in the wide extent of the Roman empire, can
" hope to exift, fecure and impregnable, if it is our pleaiure that it
K mould be erazed from the earth?" He difmiffed, however, the
interpreter,, who returned to Conftantinople with his peremptory
demand of more complete reftitution, and a more fplendid embaffy.
His anger gradually fubfided, and his domeftic fatisfaction, in a
marriage which he celebrated on the road with the daughter of Ef-
lam, might perhaps contribute to mollify the native fiercenefs of his
temper. The entrance of Attila into the royal village, was marked
by a very fingular ceremony. A numerous troop of women came
out to meet their hero, and their king. They marched before him,
diftributed into long and regular files : the intervals between the files
were rilled by white veils of thin linen, which the women on ei-
ther fide bore aloft in their hands, and which formed a canopy for
a chorus of young virgins, who chanted hymns and fongs in the

Scythian

384 THE DECLINE AND FALL

P QJ^J' Scythian Language. The wife of his favourite Onegefius, with k

« , — -j train of female attendants, faluted Attila at the door of her own

houfe, on his way to the palace ; and offered, according to the
cuftom of the country, her refpectful homage, by intreating him to
tafte the wine and meat, which ihe had prepared for his reception.
As foon as the monarch had gracioufly accepted her hofpitable gift,
his domeftics lifted a fmall filver table to a convenient tieight, as he
fat on horfeback ; and Attila, when he had touched the goblet with
his lips, again faluted the wife of Onegefius, and continued his
march. During his refidence at the feat of empire, his hours were
not wafted in the reclufe idlenefs of a fcraglio ; and the king of the
Huns could maintain his fuperior dignity, without concealing his
perfon from the public view. He frequently .affembled his council,
and gave audience to the ambafladors of the nations ; and his people
might appeal to the fupreme tribunal, which he held at ftated times,
and, according to the eaftern cuftom, before the principal gate
of his wooden palace. The Romans, both of the Eaft and of the
Weft, were twice invited to the banquets, where Attila feafted with

The royal the princes and nobles of Scvthia. Maximin and his colleagues

feaih

were flopped on the threfhold, till they had made a devout libation
to the health and profperity of the king of the Huns ; and were
conducted, after this ceremony, to their refpective feats in a fpacious
hall. The roval table and couch, covered with carpets and fine
linen, was railed by feveral fteps in the rnidft of the hall; and a
fon, an uncle, or perhaps a favourite king, were admitted to mare
the fimple and homely repaft of Attila. Two lines of fmall tables,
each of which contained three or four guefts, were ranged in order
on either hand ; the right was efteemed the moft honourable, but
the Romans ingenuoufly confefs, that they were placed on the
left ; and that Beric, an unknown chieftain, moft probably of
>the Gothic race, preceded the reprefentatives of Theodofius and

Valentiniaja.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

3»i

Valentiniarl. ' The Barbarian monarch received from, his cup bearer
k goblet filled with wine, and courteoufly drank to the health of the t.
moft diftinguiftied gueft; who rofe from' his feat, and exprcfled, in
the fame manner, his loyal and refpectful vows. This ceremony
was fuccelfively performed for all, .or at Ieafl for the illuftrious per-
fons of the aifembly ; and a confiderable time mult have been con-
fumed, fince it was thrice repeated, as each courfe or fervice was placed
on the table. But the wine ftill remained after the meat had been
removed; and the Huns continued to indulge their intemperance
long after the fober and decent ambaffadors of the two empires had
withdrawn themfelves from the nocturnal banquet. Yet before they
retired, they enjoyed a fingular opportunity of obferving the man-
ners of the nation in their convivial amufements. Two Scythians
flood before the couch of Attila, and recited the verfes which they
had compofed, to celebrate his valour and his victories. A pro-
found filence prevailed in the hall ; and the attention of the guefts.
was captivated by the vocal harmony, which revived and perpetuated
the memory of their own exploits : a martial ardour flafhed from the
eyes of the warriors, who were impatient for battle ; and the tears of
the old men exprelfed their generous defpair, that they . could no,
longer partake the danger and glory of the field 4\ This enter-
tainment, which might be confidered as a fchool of military virtue,
was fucceeded by a farce, that debafed the dignity of human nature.
A Moorifh and a Scythian buffoon fucceffively excited the mirth of
the rude fpectators, by their deformed figure, ridiculous drefs, antic
geftures, abfurd fpeeches, and the ftrange unintelligible confulion of
the Latin, the Gothic, and the Hunnic languages; and the hall rc-

*6 If we may believe Plutarch (in Deme- Aires of the table, to awaken their languid
»rio, tom. v. p. 24.), it was the cuftom of the courage by the martial harmony of twanging
Scythians, when they indulged in the plea- their bow-ftrings.

Vol. III. 3 D founded

C H A P.
XXXIV.

386

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, founded with loud and licentious peals of laughter. In the midft of
xxxiv. , r °

v , this intemperate riot, Attila alone, without a change or countenance,

maintained his ftedfaft and inflexible gravity ; which was never re-
laxed, except on the entrance of Irnac, the youngeft of his fons :
he embraced the boy with a fmile of paternal tendernefs, gently
pinched him by the cheek, and betrayed a partial affection, which-
was juftified by the afTurance of his prophets, that Irnac would be
the future fupport of his family and empire. Two days afterwards,
• the ambafladors received a fecond invitation; and they had reafon to
praife the politenefs, as well as the hofpitality, of Attila. The king
of the Huns held a long and familiar converfation with Maximin;
but his civility was interrupted by rude expreffions, and haughty
reproaches ; and he was provoked, by a motive of intereft,. to fupport
with unbecoming zeal, the private claims of his fecretary Conftan-
tius. " The emperor" (faid Attila) " has long promifed him a rich
*' wife : Conftantius muft not be difappointed j nor fhould a Roman
" emperor deferve the name of liar." On the third day, the am-
bafTadors were difmiffed ; the freedom of feveral captives was granted,
for a moderate ranfom, to their prefling entreaties ; and, befides the
royal prefents, they were permitted to accept from each of the
Soythian nobles, the honourable and ufeful gift of a horfe. Maxi-
min returned, by the fame road, to Conftantinople ; and though he
was involved in an accidental difpute with Beric, the new ambafla—
dor of Attila, he flattered himfelf that he had contributed, by the
laborious journey, to confirm the peace and alliance of the two:
nations 4?.

47 The curious narrative of this emba/Ty, and I had previoufty extracted the hiftorical'
which required few obfervations, and was circumftances, which were lefs intimately
not fufceptible of any collateral evidence, connected with the journey, and bufinefs, of
may be found in Prifcus, p. 49—70. But I the Roman ambafladors.-
have not confined myfelf to the fame order ;

i But

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

387

But the Roman ambalTador was ignorant of the treacherous defign, c AT.
which had been concealed under the mafic of the public faith. The

Confpiracy

furprife and fatisfaction of Edecon, when he contemplated the oftheRo-
fplendour of Conftantinople, had encouraged the interpreter Vigilius JheTif^of"
to procure for him a fecret interview with the eunuch Chryfaphius48, Attlla'
who governed the emperor and the empire. After fome previous
converfation, and a mutual oath of iecrecy, the eunuch, who had
not, from his own feelings or experience, imbibed any exalted no-
tions of minifterial virtue, ventured to propofe the death of Attila,
as an important fervice, by which Edecon might deferve a liberal
fhare of the wealth and luxury which he admired. The ambafTador
of the Huns liftened to the tempting offer; and profeffed, with ap-
parent zeal, his ability, as well as readinefs, to execute the bloody
deed : the defign was communicated to the matter of the offices,
and the devout Theodofius confented to the afTaflination of his in-
vincible enemy. But this perfidious confpiracy was defeated by
the diffimulation, or the repentance, of Edecon ; and, though he
might exaggerate his inward abhorrence for the treafon, which he
feemed to approve, he dexteroufly afTumed the merit of an early and
voluntary confeffion. If we now review the embalTy of Maximin,
and the behaviour of Attila, we muft applaud the Barbarian, who
refpe£ted the laws of hofpitality, and generoufly entertained and
diihiifled the minifter of a prince, who had confpired againft his
life. But the rafhnefs of Vigilius will appear ftill more extraordi-
nary, fmce he returned, confcious of his guilt and danger, to the
royal camp ; accompanied by his fon, and carrying with him a
weighty purfe of gold, which the favourite eunuch had furnifhed,

45 M. de Tillemont has very properly given ites (fee Hift. des Empereurs, tom. vi. p.

the fucceffion of Chamberlains, who reigned 117 — 119. Mem. Ecclef. tom. xv. p. 438. ).

in the name of Theodofius. Chryfaphius His partiality for his godfather, the hereiiarch

was thelaft, and, according to the unanimous Eutyches, engaged him to ptrfecute the cr-

evidence of hillory, the worlt of thefe favour- thodox party.

3 D 2 to

388 THE. DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, to fatisfv the demands of Edecon, and to corrupt the fidelity of the

XXXIV.

i._ . ' guards. The interpreter was inftantly feized, and dragged before
the tribunal of Attila, where he aflerted his innocence with fpecious
firmnefs, till the threat of inflicting inftant death on his ion, extorted
from him a fincere difcovery of the criminal tranfaction. Under the
name of ranfom, or confifcation, the rapacious king of the Huns
accepted two hundred pounds of gold for the life of a traitor, whom
he difdained to punifh. He pointed his juft indignation againft a
He repri- nobler object. His ambafTadors Eflaw and Oreftes were immediately
fbrgivenhe difpatched to Conftantinople, with a peremptory inftruction, which
.mperor. >( was mucj1 fafer for them to execute than to difobey. They boldly

entered the Imperial prefence, with the fatal purfe hanging down
from the neck of Oreftes ; who interrogated the eunuch Chryfa-
phius, as he flood belide the throne, whether he recognifed the
evidence of his guilt. But the office of reproof was referred for
the fuperior dignity of his colleague Eflaw, who gravely addrefied
the Emperor of the Eaft in the following words: " Theodofms is
" the fon of an illuftrious and refpcctable parent : Attila likewife is
" defcended from a noble race ; and he has fupported, by his ac-
<l tions, the dignity which he inherited from his father Mundzuk.
** But Theodofms has forfeited his paternal honours, and, by con-
fenting to pay tribute, has degraded himfelf to the condition of a
flave. It is therefore juft, that he fhould reverence the man whom
fortune and merit have placed above him; inftead of attempting,
" like a wicked flave, clandeftinely to confpire againft his mafter."
The fon of Arcadius, who was accuftomed only to the voice of flat-
tery, heard with aftonifhment the fevere language of truth : he
blufhed and trembled ; nor did he prefume directly to refufe the head
of Chryfaphius, which Eflaw and Oreftes were inftructed to demand,
A folemn embafly, armed with full powers and magnificent gifts,
•was haftily fent to deprecate the wrath of Attila j and his pride

3 was

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

3*9

was gratified by the choice of Nomius and Anatolius, two miniflers c A p*

t X X XI V »

of confular or patrician rank, of whom the one was great treafurer, « s *

and the other was mafter-general of the armies of the Eaft. He
condefcended to meet thefe ambaffadors on the banks of the river
Drenco ; and though he at firft affected a ftern and haughty de-
meanour, his anger was infenfibly mollified by their eloquence and
liberality. He condefcended to pardon the emperor, the eunuch,
and the interpreter ; bound himfelf by an oath to obferve the condi-
tions of peace ; releafed a great number of captives ; abandoned the
fugitives and deferters to their fate ; and refigned a large territory to
the fouth of the Danube, which he had already exhaufted of its
wealth and inhabitants. But this treaty was purchafed at an expence
which might have fupported a vigorous and fuccefsful war ; and the
fubjecls of Theodofms were compelled to redeem the fafety of a
worthlefs favourite by oppreflive taxes, which they would more
cheerfully have paid for his deftruction 4i>.

The emperor T. heodofius did not long furvive the molt, humiliating Theodofiu?
circumftance of an inglorious life. As he was riding, or hunting, £eesYounger
in the neighbourhood of Conftantinople, he was thrown from his A- D*
hone into the river Lycus : the fpine of the back was injured by the
fall ; and he expired fome days afterwards, in the fiftieth year of his
age, and the forty-third of his reign 5°. His fifter Pulcheria, whofe
authority had been controuled both in civil and ecclefiaftical affairs
by the pernicious influence of the eunuchs, was unanimoufly pro-

49 This fecret confpiracy, and its import- 50 Theodorus the Reader (fee Valef. Hifl.
ant confequences, may be traced in the frag- Ecclef. torn. iii. p. 563.), and the Pafchal
ments of Prifcus, p. 37, 38, 39. 54. 70, 71, Chronicle, mention the fall, without fpeci-
72. The chronology of that hiltorian is not fying the injury : but the confequence was
fixed by any precife date ; but the feries of fo likely to happen, and fo unlikely to be
negociations between Attila and the Eaftern invented, that we may fafely give credit to
empire, muft be included within the three or Nicephorus Calliiius, a Greek of the four-
four years, which are terminated, A. D. 450, teenth century.
by the death of Theodofius.

claimed'

39o THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, claimed Emprefs of the Eaft : and the Romans, for the firft time,

xxxiv.

w — — * fubmitted to a female reign. No fooner had Pulcheria afcended the
throne, than fhe indulged her own, and the public refentment, by
an ad: -of popular juftice. Without any legal trial, the eunuch Chry-
iaphius was executed before the gates of the city ; and the immenfe
-riches which had been accumulated by the rapacious favourite,
ferved only to haften and to juftify his punifhment 5I. Amidft the
general acclamations of the clergy and people, the emprefs did not
forget the prejudice and difadvantage to which her fex was expofed j
and fhe wifely refolved to prevent their murmurs by the choice of a
colleague, who would always refped the fuperior rank and virgin

and is fuc- chaftity of his wife. She gave her hand to Marcian, a fenator, about

■reeded by

Marcian, fixty years of age, and the nominal hufband of Pulcheria was fo-
U^U 2S' lemnly inverted with the Imperial purple. The zeal which he dis-
played for the orthodox creed, as it was eftablifhed by the council of
Chalcedon, would alone have infpired the grateful eloquence of the
Catholics. But the behaviour of Marcian in a private life, and af-
terwards on the throne, may fupport a more rational belief, that he
was qualified to reftore arid invigorate an empire, which had been
almoft diffolved by the fucceffive weaknefs of two hereditary mo-
narchs. He was born in Thrace, and educated to the profeffion of
arms ; but Marcian's youth had been feverely exercifed by poverty
and misfortune, fince his only refource, when he firft arrived at
Constantinople, confifted in two hundred pieces of gold, which he
had borrowed of a friend. He pafTed nineteen years in the domeftic
and military fervice of Afpar, and his fon Ardaburius ; followed
thofe powerful generals to the Perfian and African wars; and obtained,
by their influence, the honourable rank of tribune and fenator. His

51 Pulcheria? nutfi (fays Count Marcellinus) fon, whofe father had fufFered at his inftiga-
liia cum avaritia interemptus eft. She aban- tion.
^Joaed the eunuch to the pious revenge of a

mild

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, 391

mikl difpofition, and ufeful talents, without alarming the jealoufy, chap.
recommended Marcian to the efteem and favour, of his patrons : he * »— *
had feen, perhaps h^ had felt, the abufes of a venal and oppreffive
adminiftration ; nd bis own example gave weight and energy to the
laws, which he promulgated for the reformation of manners 5\

51 Procopius, de Bell. Vandal, 1. L c. 4. the Catholics, have beftowed on Marcian,

Evagrius, 1. ii. c. 1. Theophanes, p. 90. are diligently tranfcribed by Baronius, as aa.

91. Novell, ad Calcem Cod. Theod. torn, encouragement for future prince».
vi. p. 30. The praifes which St. Leo, and

CHAP.

39*

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. XXXV.

Invajton of Gaul by Attila. — He is repulfed by /Etius and
the Vifigoths, — Attila invades and evacuates Italy, —
'The Deaths of Attila^ JEtius> and V alentmian the
Third.

CvIvv^/P' TT was tne opinion °f Marcian, that war mould be avoided, as

XXXV.

A long as it is poffible to preferve a fecure and honourable peace ;

ens^bothem- but it was likewife his opinion, that peace cannot be honourable or
pepares"?*) ^ecure» ^ tne fovereign betrays a pufillanimous averfion to war.
^V])e^oUl' This temperate courage dictated his reply to the demands of At-
tila, who infolently prefTed the payment of the annual tribute. The
emperor fignified to the Barbarians, that they muft no longer infult
the majefty of Rome, by the mention of a tribute ; that he was
difpofed to reward, with becoming liberality, the faithful friendmip
of his allies ; but that, if they prefumed to violate the public peace,
they mould feel that he pofTelTed troops, and arms, and refolution,
to repel their attacks. The fame language, even in the camp of the
Huns, was ufed by his ambafTador Apollonius, whofe bold refufal to
deliver the prefents, till he had been admitted to a perfonal inter-
view, difplayed a fenfe of dignity, and a contempt of danger, which
Attila was not prepared to expect from the degenerate Romans \ He
threatened to chaftife the rafh fuceeflbr of Theodofius ; but he hefi-
tated, whether he mould firft direct his invincible arms againft the

' Sec Prifcus, p. 39. 72

Eaftern

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 393

Eaftern or ihe Weftern empire. While mankind awaited his deci- C^xvP"

fion with awful fufpenfe, he fent an equal defiance to the courts of 1 »

Ravenna and Conftantinople ; and his minifters faluted the two em-
perors with the fame haughty declaration. " Attila, my lord, and
" thy lord^ commands thee to provide a palace for his immediate
" reception V But as the Barbarian defpifed, or affected to de-
fpife, the Romans of the Eaft, whom he had fo often vanquifhed,
he foon declared his refolution of fufpending the eafy conqueft,
till he had atchieved a more glorious and important enterprife. In
the memorable invafions of Gaul and Italy, the Huns were naturally
attracted by the wealth and fertility of thofe provinces; but the par-
ticular motives and provocations of Attila, can only be explained by
the flute of the Weftern empire under the reign of Valentinian, or, to
fpeak more correctly, under the adminiftration of iEtius 3.

After the death of his rival Boniface, iEtius had prudently retired Character
to the tents of the Huns; and he was indebted to their alliance for tmion'cf1 *
his fafety and his reftoration. Inftead of the fuppliant language of a ^1)^433—
guilty exile, he folicited his pardon at the head of fixty thoufand 45*'
.Barbarians ; and the emprefs Placidia confeffed, by a feeble refiftance,
that the eondefcenfion, which might have been afcribed to clemency,
was the effect of weaknefs or fear. She delivered herfelf, her fon
Valentinian, and the Weftern empire, into the hands of an infolent
fubject ; nor could Placidia protect the fon-in-law of Boniface, the
' virtuous and faithful Sebaftian 4, from the implacable perfecution,

which

* The Alexandrian or Pafchal Chronicle, torn. i. p. 189 — 424, throws great light on
which introduces this haughty meflage, during the ftate of GauJ, when it was invaded by
the lifetime of Theodofius, may have anti- Attila; but the ingenious author, the Abbe
cipated the date ; but the dull annalift was Dubos, too often bewilders himfelf in fyftem
Incapable of inventing the original and ge- and conje&ure.

nuine ftyle of Attila. * Victor Vitenfis (de Perf-cut. Vandal. 1. i.

3 The fecond book of the Hiftoire Critique c. 6. p. 8. edit. Ruinart) calls him, acercon-
&e l'Etabli/Tement de la Monarchic Fran5oife, filio et flrenuus in bello : but his courage,

Vol. III. 3 E when '

394

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, which urged him from one kingdom to another, till he miferably
t - - '_. perifhed in the fervice of the Vandals. The fortunate iEtius, who
was immediately promoted to the rank of patrician, and thrice in-
verted with the honours of the confulfhip, aflumed, with the title of
mafter of the cavalry and infantry, the whole military power of the
ftate ; and he is fometimes ftyled, by contemporary writers, the Duke,
or General, of the Romans of the Weft. His prudence, rather than
his virtue, engaged him to leave the-grandibn of Theodofius in the
pofleffion of the purple; and Valentinian was permitted to enjoy
the peace and luxury of Italy, while the patrician appeared in the
glorious light of a hero and a patriot, who fupported near twenty
years the ruins of the Weftern empire. The Gothic hiftorian inge-
nuoufly confeifes, that ./Etius was born for the falvation of the
Roman republic1 ; and the following portrait, though it is drawn
in the faireft colours, muft be allowed to contain a much larger
proportion of truth than of flattery. *' His mother was a wealthy
" and noble Italian, and his father Gaudentius, who held a diftin-
" guifhed rank in the province of Scythia, gradually rofe from the
" ftation of a military domeftic^ to the dignity of mafter of the cavalry.
" Their fon, who was enrolled almoft in his infancy in the guards,
M was given as a hoftage, firft to Alaric, and afterwards to the Huns %
" and he fucceflively obtained the civil and military honours of the
" palace, for which he was equally qualified by fuperior merit,
M The graceful figure of iEtius was not above the middle ftature ;
but his manly limbs were admirably formed for ftrength, beauty,

when he became unfortunate, was cenfured merous train ; fince he could ravage the Hel-

as defperate raflinefs ; and Sebaftian deferved, lefpont and Propontis, and feize the city of

or obtained, the epithet of praceps (Sidon. Barcelona.

Apollinar. Carmen ix. 181.). His adven- ! Reipublicae Romans fingulariter natus,

lures at Conftantinople, in Sicily, Gaul, qui fuperbiam Suevorum, Francorumque

Spain, and Africa, are faintly marked in the barbariem immenfis ccedibus fervire Impe-

Chronicles of Marcellinus and Idatius. In rio Romano coegifiet. Jornandes de Rebus

Jus diftref* he was always followed by a nu- Geticis, c. 34. p. 660.

<> " and

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

395

" and agility ; and he excelled in the martial exercifes of managing Cxxx^ p*
" a hotfe, drawing the bow, and darting the javelin. He could ■*
" patiently endure the want of food or of fleep ; and his mind and
« body were alike capable of the raoft laborious efforts. He pof-
" iefled the genuine courage, that can defpife not only dangers but
" injuries ; and it was impofhble either to corrupt, or deceive, or
" intimidate, the firm integrity of his foul6." The Barbarians, who
had feated themfelves in the Weftern provinces, were infenfibly
taught to refpett the faith and valour of the patrician iEtius. He
foothed their paflions, confulted their prejudices, balanced their in-
terefts, and checked their ambition. A feafonable treaty, which he
concluded with Genferic, protected Italy from the depredations of
the Vandals ; the independent Britons implored and acknowledged
his falutary aid j the Imperial authority was reftored and maintained
in Gaul and Spain ; and he compelled the Franks and the Suevi,
whom he had vanquiflied in the field, to become the ufeful confede-
rates of the republic.

From a principle of intereft, as well as gratitude, iEtius afliduoully His connec-
cultivated the alliance of the Huns. While he refided in their tents Hunwnd111*
as a hoftage, or an exile, he had familiarly converfed with Attila
himfelf, the nephew of his benefactor ; and the two famous anta-
gonifts appear to have been connected by a perfonal and military
friendfhip, which they afterwards confirmed by mutual gifts, frequent
embaflies, and the education of Carpilio, the fon of iEtius, in the
camp of Attila. By the fpecious profeflions of gratitude and volun-
tary attachment, the patrician might difguife his apprehenfions of
the Scythian conqueror, who prefled the two empires with his innu-

e This portrait is drawn by Renatus Profu- or at leaft the intereft, of Renatus, to magnify

turus Frigeridus, a contemporary hiftorian, the virtues of iEtius; but he would have

known only by fome extracts, which are pre- fhewn more dexterity, if he had not infilled

ferved by Gregory of Tours (1. ii. c. 8. in on his patient, forgiving difpofition.
torn. ii. p. 163.). It was probably the duty,

3 E 2 merable

Alani.

396

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, merable armies. His demands were obeyed or eluded. When

XXXV.

v ' he claimed the fpoils of a vanquished city, fome vafes of gold,

which had been fraudently embezzled ; the civil and military
governors of Noricum were immediately difpatched to fatisfy h*is
complaints7: and it is evident, from their converfation with Maxi-
min and Prifcus, in the royal village, that the valour and prudence
of iEtius had not faved the Weftern Romans from the common
ignominy of tribute. Yet his dexterous policy prolonged the ad-
vantages of a falutary peace ; and a numerous army of Huns and
Alani, whom he had attached to his perfon, was employed in the
defence of Gaul. Two colonies of thefe Barbarians were judicioufly
fixed in the territories of Valence and Orleans 8 : and their active
cavalry fecured the important pafTages of the Rhone and of the
Loire. Thefe favage allies were not indeed lefs formidable to the
fubje&s than to the enemies of Rome. Their original fettlement
was enforced with the licentious violence of conqueft ; and the pro-
vince through which they marched, was expofed to all the calami-
ties of an hoftile invafion 9. Strangers to the emperor or the re-

7 The embafly confifted of Count Romu- pofition of tivo colonies or garrifons of Alani,

lus ; of Promotus, prefident of Noricum ; and will confirm his arguments and remove hk

of Romanus, the military duke. They were objections.

accompanied by Tatullus, an illuftrious citi- 9 See Profper. Tyro, p. 639. Sidonius

zen of Petovio, in the fame province, and fa- (Panegyr. Avit. 246.) complains, in the name

ther,of Oreftes, who had married the daughter of Auvergne, his native country,

of Count Romulus. See Prifcus, p. 57. 65. Litorius Scythicos equites tunc forte fub-

Caffiodorius (Variar. i. 4.) mentions another aft0

embafly, which was executed by his father Ceifus Aremorico, Geticum rapiebat ia

and Carpilio, the fon of ^Etius ; and as At- agmen

tila was no more, he could fafely boaft of Per terras, Arverne, tuas, qui proximaqua:-

their manly intrepid behaviour in his pre- qUe

fcnce- Difcurfu, flammis, ferro, feritate, rapinis,

8 Deferta Valentinae urbis rura Alanis Delebant ; pacis fallentes nomen inane,

partienda traduntur. Profper. Tyronis Chron. . . „ ,. .

• u a a v e. a Another poet, Faulinus of Peng-ord, confirms

in Hiftonens de France, torn. 1. p. 639. A t^e com ja- t '

few lines afterwards, Profper obferves, that *

.lands in the ulterior Gaul were afligned to the Nam focium vix ferre queas, qui durior

Alani. Without admitting the correction of holte.

Dubos (torn. i.p. 300.) ; the reafonable fup- SeeDubos, torn. i. p. 330.

public^

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

397

public, the Alani of Gaul were devoted to the ambition of JEnus ; cJlAP'
and though he might fufpect, that, in a conteft with Attila himfelf, v— v — -*
they would revolt to the ftandard of their national king, the patrician
laboured to reftrain, rather than to excite, their zeal and referUment
againft the Goths, the Burgundians, and the Franks.

The kingdom eftablifhed by the Vifigoths in the fouthern pro- The vifi-

goths in

vinces of Gaul, had gradually acquired ftrength and maturity ; and Gaul under
the conduct of thofe ambitious Barbarians, either in peace or war, Theo&ric,
engaged the perpetual vigilance of iEtius. After the death of Wallia,
the Gothic fceptre devolved to Theodoric, the fon of the great
Alaric 10 ; and his profperous reign, of more than thirty years, over
a turbulent people, may be allowed to prove, that his prudence was
fupported by uncommon vigour, both of mind and body. Impa-
tient of his narrow limits, Theodoric afpired to the poffeflion of
Aries, the wealthy feat of government and commerce ; but the city
was faved by the timely approach of ^Etius ; and the Gothic king,
wrho had raifed the fiege with fome lofs and difgrace, was perfuaded,
for an adequate fubfidy, to divert the martial valour of his fubjects in
a Spanifh war. Yet Theodoric Hill watched, and eagerly feized, the

favourable moment of renewing his hoftile attempts. The Goths A- D- 435 —

... . 439*

befieged Narbonne, while the Belgic provinces were invaded by the

Burgundians ; and the public fafety was threatened on every fide by

the apparent union of the enemies of Rome. On every fide, the

activity of JEtius, and his Scythian cavalry, oppofed a firm and fuc-

cefsful refiftance. Twenty thoufand Burgundians were flain in

battle ; and the remains of the nation humbly accepted a dependent

10 Theodoric II. the fon of Theodoric I., ce- Quod te, Roma, enpit.

clares to Avitus his refolution of repairing, Sidon. Panegyr. Avit. 505.

or expiating, the fault which his grandfather This character, applicable only to the great

had committed. Alaric, eftablifhes the genealogy of the Go-

Quae mefttr peccavit avus, quem fufcat id thic kings, whkh hr.s hitherto' been unno-

unum, ticcJ.

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. feat in the mountains of Savoy ". The walls of Narbonne had been
i_ „- fhaken by the battering engines, and the inhabitants had endured the
laft extremities of famine, when count Litorius, approaching in
filcnce, and directing each horfeman to carry behind him two facks
of flour, cut his way through the intrenchments of the befiegers.
The fiege was immediately railed ; and the more decifive victory,
which is alcribed to the perfonal conduct of iEtius himfelf, was
marked with the blood of eight thoufand Goths. But in the ab-
fence of the patrician, who was haftily fummoned to Italy by fome
public or private intereft, count Litorius fucceeded to the cornmand ;
and his prefumption foon difcovered, that far different talents are
required to lead a wing of cavalry, or to direct the operations of an
important war. At the head of an army of Huns, he rafhly ad-
vanced to the gates of Thouloufe, full of carelefs contempt for an
enemy, whom his misfortunes had rendered prudent, and his fitu-
ation made deiperate. The predictions of the Augurs had infpired
Litorius with the profane confidence, that he mould enter the Gothic
capital in triumph ; and the truft which he repofed in his Pagan
allies, encouraged him to reject the fair conditions of peace, which
were repeatedly propofed by the bifhops in the name of Theodoric.
The king of the Goths exhibited in his diflrefs the edifying contraft y
of Chriilian piety and moderation ; nor did he lay afide his lackcloth
and afhes till he was prepared to arm for the combat. His foldiers,
animated with martial and religious enthufiafm, aflaulted the camp
of Litorius. The conflict was obftinate ; the (laughter was mutual.
The Roman general, after a total defeat, which could be imputed
only to his unfkilful rafhnefs, was actually led through the ftreets of

11 The name of Sapaudia, the origin of noble in Dauphine ; and Ebredunum, or Ivcr-

Sa-voj, is firft mentioned by AmmianusMar- dun, flieltered a fleet of fmall veflels, which

cellinus; and two military pofts are afcer- commanded the lake .of Neufchatel. See Va-

tained, by the Notitia, within the limits of lefius, Notit. Galliarum, p. 503. D'Anville,

that province; a cohort was llationed at Gre. Notice de l'Ancienne Gaule, p. 28-4. 57c;.

Thouloufe,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. *

399

Thouloufe, not in his own, but in a hoftilc, triumph ; and the mi- CHAP.

XXXV.

fery which he experienced, in a long and ignominious captivity, ex-
cited the compaflion of the Barbarians themfelves Such a lofs, in
a country whofe fpirit and finances were long fince cxhauftcd, could
not eafily be repaired ; and the Goths, afluming, in their turn, the
fentiments of ambition and revenge, would have planted their victo-
rious ftandards on the banks of the Rhone, if the prefence of
jEtius had not reftored ftrength and difcipline to the Romans '\
The two armies expected the fignal of a decifive action j but the ge-
nerals, who were confcious of each other's force, and doubtful of
their own fuperiority, prudently fheathed their fwords in the field of
battle ; and their reconciliation was permanent and fincere. Thco-
doric, king of the Vifigoths, appears to have deferved the love of
his fubjects, the confidence of his allies, and the efteem of man—
kind. His throne was furrounded by fix valiant fons, who were
educated with equal care in the exercifes of the Barbarian camp,
and in thofc of the Gallic fchools : from the ftudy of the Roman
jurifprudence, they acquired the theory, at leaft, of law and juftice ;
and the harmonious fenfe of Virgil contributed to foften the afperity
of their native manners ,+. The two daughters of the Gothic king
were given in marriage to the eldeft fons of the kings of the Suevi

Salvian has attempted to explain the Vincere contingat, trepido.

moral government of the Deity ; a ta(k which Panegyr. Avit. 300, &c

may be readily performed by fuppofing, that Sidonius then proceeds, according to the

the calamities of the wicked are, judgments, duty of a panegyrift, to transfer the whole

and thofe of the righteous, trials. merit from ./Etius, to his minifter Avitus.

• Capto terrarum damna patebant ** Theodoric II. revered, in the perfon of

«3

Litorio, in Rhodanum proprios produ- Avitus, the character of his preceptor.

cere fines, 1 Mihi Romula dwdum

Theudorida: fixum ; nec eratpugnarene- Yer te jura placent : parvumque edifcere

cefle, juffit

Sedmigrare Getis; rabidam truxafperat Ad tua verba pater, docili quo prifca

iram Maronis

Viftor ; quod fenfit Scythicum fub mce- Carmine molliret Scythicos mihi pagi-

nibus hoftem na mores.

Imputat, et nihil eft gravius, fi forfitan Sidon. Panegyr. Avit. 495, &c.
unquam

and

4oo THE. DECLINE AND FALL

C H A p. anj 0f the Vandals, who rckrned in Spain and Africa : but thefe

XXXV. . , . . .

i, 1 illuflrious alliances were pregnant with guilt and difcord. The queen

of the Suevi bewailed the death of an hufband, inhumanly mafla-
cred by her brother. The princefs of the Vandals was the victim
of a jealous tyrant, whom fhe called her father. The cruel Gen-
feric fufpetted, that his fon's wife had confpired to poifon him ; the
fuppofed crime was punifhed by the amputation of her nofe and
ears ; and the unhappy daughter of Theodoric was ignominioufly
returned to the court of Thouloufe in that deformed and mutilated
condition. This horrid act, which rauft feem incredible to a civil-
ized age, drew tears from every fpectator ; but Theodoric was urged,
by the feelings of a parent and a king, to revenge fuch irreparable
injuries. The Imperial minifters, who always cherimed the difcord
of the Barbarians, would have fupplied the Goths with arms, and
mips, and treafures, for the African war; and the cruelty of
Genferic might have been fatal to himfelf, if the artful Vandal had
not armed, in his caufe, the formidable power of the Huns. His
rich gifts and preffing folicitations inflamed the ambition of Attila ;
and the defigns of iEtius and Theodoric were prevented by the in-
vafion of Gaul ,5.

The Franks The Franks, whofe monarchy was ftill confined to the neigh-
under the bourhood of the Lower Rhine, had wifely eftablifhed the right
king™"212111 of hereditary fucceffion in the noble family of the Merovingians ,5.

A. D. 420 —

-45 rs Our authorities for the reign ofTheo- himfelf does not mention the Merovingian

doric I. are, Jornandes de Rebus Geticis, name, which may be traced, however, to the

c. 34. 36. and the Chronicles of Idatius, and beginning of the feventh century, as the di-

the two Profpers, inferted in the Hiftorians of ftinctive appellation of the royal family, and

France, torn. i. p. 612 — 640. To thefe we even of the French monarchy. An ingeni-

m ay add Salvian de Gubernatione Dei, 1. ous critic has deduced the Merovingians from

vii. p. 243, 244, 245. and the Panegyric of the great Maroboduus ; and he has clearly

Avitus, by Sidonius. proved, that the prince, who gave his name

16 Reges Crinitos fe creavifTe de prima, et to the firft race, was more ancient than the

utita dicam nobiliori fuorum familia (Greg, father of Childeric. See Memoires de l'Aca-

• Turon. 1. ii. c. 9. p. 166. of the fecond vo- demie des Infcriptions, torn. xx. p. 52—90.

slum* of the Hiftorians of France). Gregory torn. xxx. p. 557—587.

7 Thefe

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 401

Thefe princes were elevated on a buckler, the fymbol of military CX^^P'
command 17 ; and the royal fafhion of long hair was the enfign of v — t
their birth and dignity. Their flaxen locks, which they combed
and drefled with fmgular care, hung down in flowing ringlets on
their back and fhoulders ; while the reft of the nation were obliged,
either by law or cuftom, to fhave the hinder part of their head ; to
comb their hair over the forehead, and to content themfelves with
the ornament of two fmall whHkers ,8. The lofty ftature of the
Franks, and their blue eyes, denoted a Germanic origin ; their clofe
•apparel accurately expreffed the figure of their limbs ; a weighty
fword was fufpended from a broad belt ; their bodies were protected
by a large fhield : and thefe warlike Barbarians were trained, from
their earlieft youth, to run, to leap, to fwim; to dart the javelin, or
.battle-axe, with unerring aim; to advance, without hefitation, againft
a fuperior enemy ; and to maintain, either in life or death, the in-
vincible reputation of their anceftors '9. Clodion, the firft of their
long-haired kings, whofe name and actions are mentioned in authen-
tic hiftory, held his refidence at Difpargum i0, *a village, or fortrefs,
whofe place may be afligned between Louvain and BrurTels. From
the report of his fpies, the king of the Franks was informed, that

17 This German cufrom, which may be byAgathias (torn. ii. p. 49. ), and by Gre-
traced from Tacitus to Gregory of Tours, gory of Tours, I. iii. 18. vi. 24. viii. 10.
was at length adopted by the emperors of torn. ii. p. 196. 278. 316.
Conftantinople. From a MS. of the tenth 19 See an original picture of the figure,
century, Montfaucon has delineated the re- drefs, arms, and temper of the ancient
prefentation of a finiilar ceremony, which Franks in Sidonius Apollinaris (Panegyr.
the ignorance of 'the age had applied to king Majorian, 238-254.) ; and fuch pictures,
David. See Monuments de la Monarchic though coarfely drawn, have a real and in-

.Franccife, torn. i. Difcourfe Preliminaire. trinfic value. Father Daniel (Hilt, de la

18 Cxfai ies prolixa . . . . crinium fiagellis Milice Francoife, torn. i. p. 2—7.) has il-
per terga dimiflis, &c. See the Preface to luilrated the defcription.

third volume of the Hiftorians of France, 20 Dubos, Hift. Critique, Set. torn. i. p.

and the Abbe Le Bceuf (DifTe-rtit. torn. iii. 271, 272. Some geographers have placed

p. 47-79.). This peculiar fafhion of the Difpargum on the German fide of the Rhine.

Merovingians has been remarked by natives See a note of the Benediftine Editors to the

and lb-angers; by Prifcus (torn. i. p. 608.), Hiftorians of France, tom.ii. p. 166.

Vol. III. 3 F the

402

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, the defencelefs ftate of the fecond Belgic muft yield, on the flighteft

< „ ' attack, to the valour of his fubjects. He boldly penetrated through

the thickets and moraffes of the Carbonarian foreft " ; occupied
Tournay and Cambray, the only cities which exifted in the fifth
century, and extended his conquefts as far as the river Somme, over
a defolate country, whofe cultivation and populoufnefs are the effects
of more recent induftry". WMk Clodion lay encamped in the plains
of Artois l3, and celebrated, with vain and oftentatious fccurity, the
marriage, perhaps, of his fon, the nuptial feaft was interrupted by
the unexpected and unwelcome prefence of iEtius, who had paffed the
Somme at the head of his light cavalry. The tables, which had
been fpread under the melter of a hill, along the banks of a pleafant
ftream, were rudely overturned ; the Franks were oppreffed before
they could recover their arms, or their ranks ; and their unavailing
valour was fatal only to themfelves. The loaded waggons, which had
followed their march, afforded a rich booty ; and the virgin-bride,
with her female attendants, fubmitted to the new lovers, who were
impofed on them by the chance of war. This advantage, which
had been obtained by the Ikill and activity of iEtius, might reflect
fome difgrace on the military prudence of Clodion ; but the king of
the Franks foon regained his ftrength and reputation, and ftill main-
tained the poffeffion of his Gallic kingdom from the Rhine to the
Somme I+. Under his reign, and moft probably from the enterprifmg

fpirit

11 The Carbonarian wood, was that part The precife fpot was a town, or village, cal?ed
of the great foreft of the Ardennes, which Vicus Helena ; and both the name and the
lay between the Efcaut, or Scheld, and the place are difcovered by modern geographers
Meufe. Valef. Notit. Gall. p. 126. atLens. SeeValef. Notit. Gall. p. 2^6. Lon-

" Gregor. Turon. 1. ii. c. 9. in torn. ii. p. guerue, Defcription de la France, tom.ii.p.88.
166, 167. fredegar. Epitom. c. 9. p. 395. 2+ See a vague account of the adlion in
GeftaReg.Francor. c. 5. in torn. ii. p. 544. Vit. Sidonius. Panegyr. Majorian. 212 — 230.
St. Remig. ab Hincmar, in torn. iii. p. 373. The French critics, impatient to efbblifh

13 Francus qua Cloio patentes their monarchy in Gaul, have drawn a ftrong.

Atrebatum terras pervaferat. argument from the hlence of Sidonius, who

Panegyr. Majorian. 21 z. dares not iniinuate, that the vanquiftied

Franks

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

4°3

Spirit of his fubjects, the three capitals, Mentz, Treves, and Cologne, c^£..1''

experienced the effects of hoftile cruelty and avarice. The diftrcfs <>. — „ >

of Cologne was prolonged by the perpetual dominion of the fame
Barbarians, who evacuated the ruins of Treves ; and Treves, which,
in the fpace of forty years, had been four times befieged and pillaged,
was difpofed to lofe the memory of her afflictions in the vain amufe-
ments of the circus 1S. The death of Clodion, after a reign of twenty
years, expofed his kingdom to the difcord and ambition of his two
fons.. Meroveus, the younger I6, was perfuaded to implore the pro-
tection of Rome ; he was received at the Imperial court, as the ally
of Valentinian, and the adopted fon of the patrician JEtius ; and
difmilTed, to his native country, with fplendid gifts, and the ftrongeft
afTurances of friendfhip and fupport. During his abfence, his elder
brother had foliated, with equal ardour, the formidable aid of Attila ;
and the king of the Huns embraced an alliance, which facilitated the
paflage of the Rhine, and juftified, by a fpecious and honourable
pretence, the invafion of Gaul 27.

When Attila declared his refolution of fupporting the caufe of his The adven-
allies, the Vandals and the Franks, at the fame time, and almoft in prSeffi-io-
the fpirit of romantic chivalry, the favage monarch profelTed himfelf nona'
the lover and the champion of the princefs Honoria. The fitter

Franks were compelled to repafs the Rhine, the Franks, who reigned on the hanks of the

Dubos, torn. i. p. 322. Necker: but the arguments of M. de Fonce-

15*Salvian (de Gubernat. Dei, 1. vi.) has magne (Mem. de l'Academie, torn. viii. p.

exprefled, in vague and declamatory Ian- 464.) feem to prove, that the fucceffion of

guage, the misfortunes of thefe three cities, Clodion was difputed by his two fons, and

which are diftindtly afcertained by the learn- that the younger was Meroveus, the father of

ed Mafcou, Hift. of the Ancient Germans, Childeric.

a- *»• 17 Under the Merovingian race, the throne
16 Prifcus, in relating the conteft, does was hereditary ; but all the fons of the de-
rot name the two brothers ; the fecond of ceafed monarch were equally intitled to their
whom he had fcen at Rome, a beardlefs (hare of his treafures and territories. Seethe
youth, with long flowing hair (Hiftorians of Diflcrtations of M. de Foncemagne in the
France, torn. i. p. 607, 608.). The Bene- fixth and eighth volumes of the Memoires dc
dictine Editors are inclined to believe, that l'Academie.
they were the fons of fonie unknown king of

3 F 2 of

404

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. 0f Valentinian was educated in the palace of Ravenna ; and as her

XXXV.

v. -,— .' marriage might be productive of fome danger to ;the State, She was
raifed, by the title of Augujla 23, above the hopes of the moft pre-
fumptuous fubjedt. But the fair Honoria had no fooner attained,
the fixteenth year of her age, than fhe deteSted the importunate
greatnefs, which muSt for ever exclude her from the comforts of
honourable love : in the midft of vain and unfatisfactory pomp,
Honoria Sighed, yielded to the impulfe of nature, and threw her-
felf into the arms of her chamberlain Eugenius. Her guilt and Shame
(fuch is the abfurd language of imperious man) were foon betrayed by
the appearances of pregnancy : but the difgrace of the royal family was
published to the world by the imprudence of the emprefs Placidia ;
who difmiSTed her daughter, after a Strict and Shameful confinement,
to a remote exile at Constantinople. The unhappy princefs paSTed
twelve or fourteen years in the irkfome fociety of the Sifters of
Theodofius, and their chofen virgins ; to whofe crown Honoria could
no longer afpire, and whofe monaftk affiduity of prayer, fafting,
and vigils, fhe reluctantly imitated. Her impatience of long and
hopelefs celibacy, urged her to embrace a Strange and defperate re-
folution. The name of Attila was familiar and formidable at Con-
stantinople ; and his frequent embaflies entertained a perpetual inter-
courfe between his camp and the Imperial palace. In the purfuit of
love, or rather of revenge, the daughter of Placidia Sacrificed every
duty, and every prejudice ; and offered to deliver her perfon into
the arms of a Barbarian, of whofe language She was ignorant, whofe
figure was Scarcely human, and whofe religion and manners She
abhorred. By the ministry of a faithful eunuch, fhe tranfmitted to
Attila a ring, the pledge of her affection ; and earnestly conjured

13 A medal is ftill extant, which exhibits improper legend of SftJus ReipuLUcts rcur.d
the pleanng countenance of Honoria, with the monagram of Chrift. See Ducange, Fa-
the title of Augufta ; and on the reverfe, the mil. Byzantin. p. 67 73.

him

OF THE ROMAN

EMPIRE,

him to claim her as a lawful fpoufe, to whom he had been fecretly c H i\p:

betrothed. Thefe indecent advances were received, however, with 1 s •

coldnefs and difdain ; and the king of the Huns continued to mul-
tiply the number of his wives, till his love was awakened by the
more forcible paffions of ambition and avarice. The invafion of
Gaul was preceded, and j unified, by a formal demand of the princefs
Honoria, with a juft and equal {hare of the Imperial patrimony.
His predeceflbrs, the ancient Tanjous, had often addrefled, in the
fame hoftile and peremptory manner, the daughters of China ; and
the pretenfions of Attila were not lefs offenfive to the majefty of
Rome. A firm, but temperate, refufal was communicated to his
ambafiadors. The right of female fucceffion, though it might derive
a fpecious argument from the recent examples of Placidia and Pul-
cheria, was flrenuoufly denied ; and the indifToluble engagements of
Honoria were oppofed to the claims of her Scythian lover 19. On
the difcovery of her connection with the king of the Hunsr the
guilty princefs had been fent away, as an object of horror, from
Conftantinople to Italy : her life was fpared ; but the ceremony of
her marriage was performed with fome obfcure and nominal huf-
band, before me was immured in a perpetual prifon, to bewail thofe
crimes and misfortunes, which Honoria might have efcaped, had fhe
not been born the daughter of an emperor30.

A native of Gaul, and a contemporary, the learned and eloquent Attila in-
Sidonius, who was afterwards bifhop of Clermont, had made a pro- and^eficges
mife to one of his friends, that he would compofe a regular hiftory of ^rl^ans'!
the wrar of Attila. If the modefty of Sidonius had not difcouraged

19 See Prifcus, p. 39, 40. It might be fedly relrted by Jornandes, de Succeflione
fairly alleged, thai if females could fucceed Regn. c cj-. and de Reb. Get. c. 42. p. 674. ;
to the throne, Valentinian himfelf, who had and in the Chronicles of Profper, and Mar-
married the daughter and heirefs of the cellinus ; but they cannot be made confill-
youn^er Theodofius, would have aflerted her ent, or probable, unlefs we feparate, by an
right to the eaftern empire. interval of time and place, her intrigue with

Jy The adventures of Honoria are imper- Eugenius, and her invitation of Attila.

7 him:

4o6 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, him from the profecution of this interefting work3', the hiftorian would

XXXV.

have related, with the fimplicity of truth, thofe memorable events, to
which the poet, in vague and doubtful metaphors, has concifely al-
luded 3\ The kings and nations of Germany and Scythia, from the
Volga perhaps to the Danube, obeyed the warlike fummons of
Attila. From the royal village, in the plains of Hungary, his ftan-
dard moved towards the Weft ; and, after a march of fcven or eight
hundred miles, he reached the conflux of the Rhine and the Necker ;
where he was joined by the Franks, who adhered to his ally, the
elder of the fons of Clodion. A troop of light Barbarians, who
roamed in queft of plunder, might chufe the winter for the conve-
nience of palling the river on the ice ; but the innumerable cavalry
of the Huns required fuch plenty of forage and provifions, as could
be procured only in a milder feafon ; the Hercynian foreft fupplicd
materials for a bridge of boats; and the hoftile myriads were poured,
with refiftlefs violence, into the Belgic provinces The confirma-
tion of Gaul was univerfal ; and the various fortunes of its cities

31 Exegeras mihi, ut promitterem tibi, Et jam terriricis diffuderat Attila turmis

Attila: bellum ftylo me pofteris intimaturum In campos fe Belga tuos.

.... coeperam fcribere, fed operis arrepti Panegyr. Avit. 319, &c.

fafce perfpedo, taeduit inchoate. Sidon. 33 The moft authentic and circumftantial

Apoll. 1. via. epift. 15. p. 246. account of this war, is contained in Jornan-

32 Subito cum rupta tumultu des (deReb.Geticis, c.36 — 41. p.662— 672.),

Barbaries totas in te transfuderat Arclos, who has fometimes abridged, and fometimes
Gallia. Pugnacem Rugum comitante tranferibed, the larger hiftory of Cafliodorius.

Gelono Jornandes, a quotation which it would be fu-

Gepida trux fequitur ; Scyrum Burgun- perfluous to repeat, may be corredted and il-

dio cogit : luftratcd by Gregory of Tours,1.2.c. 5,6,7. and

Chunus, Bellonotus, Neurus, Bafterna, the Chronicles of Idatius, Ifidore, and the two

Toringus Profpers. All the ancient teftimonies are col-

Bruclerus, ulvofa vel quern Nicer abluit lefted and inferted in tbeHiftorians of France ;

unda but the reader (hould be cautioned again ft a

Prorumpit Francus. Cecidit cito fefta fuppofed cxtraft from the Chronicle of Ida-

bipenni tius (among the fragments of Fredegarius,

H«rcynia in lintres, et Rhenum texuit tern. ii. p. 462.), which often contradicts

alno. x the genuine text of the Gallician bifhop.

have

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

have been adorned by tradition with martyrdoms and miracles **.
Troyes was faved by the merits of St. Lupus ; St. Servatius was re-
moved from the world, that he might not behold the ruin of Tongres ;
and the prayers of St. Genevieve diverted the march of Attila from
the neighbourhood of Paris. But as the greater! part of the Gallic
cities were alike deftitute of faints and foldiers, they were befieged
and ftormed by the Huns ; who practifed, in the example of Metz35,
their culiomary maxims of war. They involved, in a promifcuous
maflacre, the priefts who ferved at the altar, and the infants, who,
in the hour of danger, had been providently baptized by the bifhop;
the flourishing city was delivered to the flames, and a folitary chapel
of St. Stephen marked the place where it formerly ftood. From the
Rhine and the Mofelle, Attila advanced into the heart of Gaul ;
crofTed the Seine at Auxerre ; and, after a long and laborious march,
fixed his camp under the walls of Orleans. He was defirous of fe-
curing his conquefts by the pofle/Tion of an advantageous port, which
commanded the pafiage of the Loire ; and he depended on the fecret
invitation of Sangiban, king of the Alani, who had promifed to betray
the city, and to revolt from the fervice of the empire. But this
treacherous confpiracy was detected and difappointed : Orleans had
been ftrengthened with recent fortifications ; and the aiTaults of the
Huns were vigoroufly repelled by the faithful valour of the foldiers,
or citizens, who defended the place. The paftoral diligence of Ani-

3* The ancient legendaries deferve fome re- ftruftion of Metz? At the diltance of no more

gard, as they are obliged to conneft their than an hundred years, could he be ignorant,

fables with the real hiftory of their own times, could the people be ignorant, of the fate of a

See the lives of St. Lupus, St. Anianus, the city, the actual refidence of his fovereigns, the

bilhops of Metz, Ste. Genevieve, &c. in the kings of Auftrafia ? The learned Count, who

Hiltorians of France, torn. i. p. 644, 645. feems to have undertaken the apology ofAttila,

649. torn. iii. p. 369. and the Barbarians, appeals to the falfe Ida-

35 The fcepticifm of the count de Buat tius, parcens civitatibus Germanic et Gallia;,

(Hid. des Peuples, torn. vii. p. C39, 540.) and forgets, that the true Idatius had explicit-

cannot be reconciled with any principles of ly affirmed, pi urima; civitates etfracl.-t, among

reafon or criticifm. Is not Gregory of Tours which he enumerates Metz.
precife and pofitive in his account of the de-

3 anus,.

4oS THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H A P. arius, a bifhop of primitive fanctity and confummate prudence, ex-
\_ _i haufted every art of religious policy to fupport their courage, till the
arrival of the expected fuccours. After an obftinate fiege, the walls
.were fhaken by the battering rams ; the Huns had already occupied
the fuburbs ; and the people, who were incapable of bearing arms,
lay proftrate in prayer. Anianus, who anxioufly counted the
days and hours, difpatched a trufty meffenger to obferve, from the
rampart, the face of the diftant country. He returned twice, without
uny intelligence, that could infpire hope or comfort ; but in his third
report, he mentioned a fmall cloud, which he had faintly defcried at
the extremity of the horizon. " It is the aid of God," exclaimed
the bifhop, in a tone of pious confidence ; and the whole multitude
repeated after him, " It is the aid of God." The remote object,
on which every ^ye was fixed, became each moment larger, and
more diftinct ; the Roman and Gothic banners were gradually per-
ceived ; and a favourable wind blowing afide the duft, difcoyered,
in deep array, the impatient fquadrons of iEtius and Theodoric, who
preffed forwards to the relief of Orleans.
Alliance of The facility with which Attila had penetrated into the heart of
and vifu1" Gaul, may be afcribed to his infidious policy, as well as to the terror
goths. Gf arins. His public declarations were fkilfully mitigated by his
private affurances ; he alternately foothed and threatened the Romans
and the Goths; and the courts of Ravenna and Thouloufe, mutually
fufpicious of each other's intentions, beheld, with fupine indifference,
the approach of their common enemy. JEtius was the fole guardian
of the public fafety ; but his wifeft meafures were embarraffed by a
faction, which, fmce the death of Placidia, infefted the Imperial
palace : the youth of Italy trembled at the found of the trumpet ; and
the Barbarians, who, from fear or affection, were inclined to the
caufe of Attila, awaited, with doubtful and venal faith, the event .of
. the war. The patrician paffed the Alps at the head of fome troops,"

whofe

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

"whofe flrength and numbers fcarcely deferved the name of an army36. c***tr?'
» a. a. \ y *

Btit on his arrival at Aries, or Lyons, he was confounded by the * — -v— — '
intelligence, that the Vifigoths, refufing to embrace the defence of
Gaul, had determined to expect, within their own territories, the
formidable invader, whom they profelfed to defpife. The fenator
Avitus, who, after the honourable exercife of the prastorian Prasfeo-
ture, had retired to his eftate in Auvergne, w#s perfuaded to accept
the important embafly, which he executed with ability and fuccefs.
He reprefented to Theodoric, that an ambitious conqueror, who
afpired to the dominion of the earth, could be refilled only by the
firm and unanimous alliance of the powers whom he laboured to
opprefs. The lively eloquence of Avitus inflamed the Gothic war-
riors, by the defcription of the injuries which their anceftors had
fuffered from the Huns ; whofe implacable fury ftill purfued them
from the Danube to the foot of the Pyrenees. He ftrenuoufly urged,
that it was the duty of every Chriftian to fave, from facrilegious
violation, the churches of God, and the relics of the faints : that it
was the intereft, of every Barbarian, who had acquired a fettlement in
Gaul, to defend the fields and vineyards, which were cultivated for his
ufe, againft the defolation of the Scythian fhepherds. Theodoric yielded
to the evidence of truth ; adopted the meafure at once the raoft pru-
dent and the mod honourable; and declared, that, as the faithful ally of
iEtius and the Romans, he was ready to expofe his life and king-
dom for the common fafety of Gaul 37. The Vifigoths, who, at

36 Vix liquerat Alpes Panegyric of Avitus, and the thirty-fixth

Aetius, tenue, et rarum fine milite du- chapter of Jornandes. The poet and the

cens hiftorian were both biafied by perfonal or

Robur, in auxiliis Geticum male ere- national prejudices. The former exalts the

dulus agmen merit and importance of Avitus ; orbis, Avite,

IncalTum propriis praefumens adfore falus, &c. ! The latter is anxious to (hew

caftris. the Goths in the moil favourable light. Yet

Panegyr. Avit. 328, &c. their agreement, when they are fairly inter*

S7 The policy of Attila, of iEtius, and of preted, is a proof of their veracity.
the Vifigoths, is imperfectly defcribed in the

Vol. III. 3 G that

* •

410

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CXXXVP* time, were in the mature vigour of their fame and power,
<~ ■■»- obeyed with alacrity the fignal of war ; prepared their arms and
horfes, and alTembled under the ftandard of their aged king, who
was refolved, with his two eldeft fons, Torifmond and Theodoric,
to command in perfon his numerous and valiant people. The ex-
ample of the Goths determined feveral tribes or nations, that feemed
to fluctuate between the Huns and the Romans. The indefatigable
diligence of the patrician gradually collected the troops of Gaul and
Germany, who had formerly acknowledged themfelves the fubjects,
or foldiers, of the republic, but who now claimed the rewards of
voluntary fervice, and the rank of independent allies ; the Laetiy
the Armoricans, the Breones, the Saxons, the Burgundians, the
Sarmatians, or Alani, the Ripuarians, and the Franks who followed
Meroveus as their lawful prince. Such was the various army, which*
under the conduct of iEtius and Theodoric, advanced, by rapid
marches, to relieve Orleans, and to give battle to the innumerable
hoft of Attila 3\

Attila retires On their approach, the king of the Huns immediately raifed the
ofCh,.m-mS fiege, and founded a retreat to recal the foremoft of his troops from
P2gne. t|ie pinage cf a city which they had already entered 39. The valour of
Attila was always guided by his prudence ; and as he forefaw the
fatal confequences of a defeat in the heart of Gaul, he repafTed the
Seine, and expected the enemy in the plains of Chalons, whofe

38 The review of the army of ^Etius is in the diocefe of Bayeux r the Burgundians

made by Jornandes, c. 36. p. 664. edit. Grot, were fettled in Savoy; and the Breones were

torn. ii. p. 23. of the Hiftorians of France, a warlike tribe of Rhxtians, to the ealt of the

with the notes of the Benedictine Editor. The lake of Conflance.

Lati were a promifcuous race of Barbarians, 19 AureliaDenfis urbis obfidio, oppugnatio,

born ornaturalizedin Gaul; and the Riparii, or irruptio, necdireptio, 1. v. Sidon. Apollin.

Rifuorii, derived their name from their polls L viii. epift. 15. p. 246. The prefervation

on the three rivers, the Rhine, the Meufe, of Orleans might eafily be turned into a mi-

and the Mofelle ; the Armoricans pofleffed racle, obtained, and foretold, by the holy

the independent cities between the Seine and biihop.
the Loire. A colony of Saxtm had been planted

lmootb

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

fmooth and level furface was adapted to the operations of his Scythian
cavalry. But in this tumultuary retreat, the vanguard of the P. omans,
and their allies, continually prelTed, and fometimes engaged, the
troops whom Attila had ported in the rear ; the hoftile columns, in
the darknefs of the night, and the perplexity of the roads, might
encounter each other without defign ; and the bloody conflict of the
Franks and Gepidse, in which fifteen thoufand 40 Barbarians were
flain, was a prelude to a more general and decifive action. The
Catalaunian fields 41 fpread themfelves round Chalons, and extend,
according to the vague meafurement of Jornandes, to the length of
one hundred and fifty, and the breadth of one hundred, miles, over
the whole province, which is intitled to the appellation of a champaign
country41. This fpacious plain was diftinguifhed, however, byfome
inequalities of ground ; and the importance of an height, which
commanded the camp of Attila, was underftood, and difputed, by
the two generals. The young and valiant Torifmond firft occu-
pied the fummit ; the Goths rufhed with irrefiftible weight on the
Huns, who laboured to afcend from the oppofite fide ; and the pof-
feffion of this advantageous poft infpired both the troops and their
leaders with a fair aflurance of victory. The anxiety of Attila prompt-
ed him to confult his priefts and harufpices. It was reported, that,
after fcrutinizing the entrails of victims, and fcraping their bones,
they revealed, in myfterious language, his own defeat, with the death
of his principal adverfary ; and that the Barbarian, by accepting the
equivalent, exprefled his involuntary efteem for the fuperior merit

40 The common editions read xcm ; but Notit. Gall. p. 136. D'Anvil!e, Notice de
there is fome authority of manufcripts (and l'Ancienne Gaule, p. 212. 279.

almoft any authority is fufficient) for the more 41 The name of Campania, or Champagne,

reafonable number of xvm. is fxequently mentioned by Gregory of

41 Chalons, or Duro-Catalaunum, after- Tours ; and that great province, of which
wards Catalauni, had formerly made a part Rheims was the capital, obeyed the command
of the territory of Rheims, from whence it is of a duke. Valef. Notit. p. 120 — 123.
diftant only twenty-feven miles. See Valef.

3 G 2 of

4-12

THE DECLINE AND FALL

to the generals of antiquity, of animating his troops by a military
oration ; and his language was that of a king, who had often fougbt-
and conquered at their head M. He preiTed them to confider their
pad glory, their actual danger, and their future hopes. The fame
fortune, which opened the deferts and moraffes of Scythia to their
unarmed valour, which had laid fo many warlike nations proftrate at
their feet, had referred the joys of this memorable field for the con-
fummation of their victories. The cautious lteps of their enemies,
their ltrict alliancej and their advantageous pofts he artfully repre-
fented as the effects, not of prudence, but of fear. The Vifigoths
alone were the ftrength and nerves of the oppofite army ; and the
Huns might fecurely trample on the degenerate Romans, whofe clofe
and compact order betrayed their apprehenfions, and who were equally
incapable of fupporting the dangers, or the fatigues, of a day. of
battle. The doctrine of predeftination, fo favourable to martial virtue,
was carefully inculcated by the king of the Huns ; who afiured his
fubjects, that the warriors, protected by Heaven, were fafe and in-
vulnerable amidft the darts of the enemy ; but that the unerring
Fates would ftrrke their victims in the bofom of inglorious peace.
" I myfelf," continued Attila, " will throw the firft javelin, and.
" the wretch who refufes to imitate the example of his fovereign, is
" devoted to inevitable death." The fpirit of the Barbarians was
rekindled by the prefence, the voice, and the example of their in-
trepid leader ; and Attila, yielding to their impatience, immediately
formed his order of battle. At the head of his brave and faithful

43 I am fenfible that thefe military orations dorius : the ideas, and even the expreflions,.

are ufually compofed by the hiftorian ; yet have an original Scythian call ; and I doubts

the old Gftrogoths, who had ferved under whether an Italian of the fixth century, would

Attila, might repeat his difcourie to Caflio- have thought of the, hujus certaminis^tfuiA?.

HunSj

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

4*3

Huns, he occupied, in perfon, the centre of the line. The nations, c H A p«
fubject to his empire, the Rugians, the Heruli, the Thuringians, the ^_ — v — j
Franks-, the Burgundians, were extended, on either hand, over the
ample fpace of the Catalaunian fields ; the right wing was commanded
by Ardaric, king of the Gepidse; and the three valiant brothers,
who reigned over the Oftrogoths, were ported on the left to oppofe
the kindred tribes of the Vifigoths. The difpofition of the allies was
regulated by a different principle. Singiban, the faithlefs king of
the Alani, was placed in the centre ; where his motions might
be ftrictly watched, and his treachery might be inftantly punimed.
iEtius affumed the command of the left, and Theodoric of the right,
wing; while Torifmond ftill continued to occupy the heights which
appear to have ftretched on the flank, and perhaps the rear, of the
Scythian army. The nations from the Volga to the Atlantic were
affembled on the plain of" Chalons ; but many of thefe nations had
been divided by faction, or conqueft, or emigration ; and the ap- •
pearance of fimilar arms and enfigns, which threatened each other,
prefented the image of a civil war.

The difcipline and tactics of the Greeks and Romans form an in- Battle of
terefting part of their national manners. The attentive ftudy of Ch*lons*
the military operations of Xenophon, or Csefar, or Frederic, when
they are defcribed by the fame genius which conceived and executed
, them, may tend to improve (if fuch improvement can be wifhed) the
>^art of deftroying1 the human fpecies. But the battle of Chalons can
only excite our curiofity, by the magnitude of the object ; fince it
was decided by the blind impetuofity of Barbarians, and has been
related by partial writers, whofe civil or ecclefiaftical profeffion fe-
cluded them from the knowledge of military affairs. Camodorius, ,
however, had familiarly converfed with many Gothic warriors, who
ferved in that memorable engagement ; " a conflict," as they in-
formed him, " fierce, various, obftinate, and bloody ; fuch as could

" not

4.14. THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. " not be paralleled, either in the prefent, or in paft ages." The num-
\ . ber of the fiain amounted to one hundred and nxty-two thou-
fand, or, according to another account, three hundred thoufand
perfons 44 ; and thefe incredible exaggerations fuppofe a real and ef-
fective lofs, fumcient to juftify the hiftorian's remark, that whole
generations may be fwept away, by the madnefs of kings, in
the fpace of a fingle hour. After the mutual and repeated dis-
charge of miflile weapons, in which the archers of Scythia might
fignalize their fuperior dexterity, the cavalry and infantry of the two
armies were furioufly mingled in clofer combat. The Huns, who
fought under the eyes of their king, pierced through the feeble and
doubtful centre of the allies, Separated their wings from each other,
and wheeling, with a rapid effort, to the left, directed their whole
force againfl the Vifigoths. As Theodoric rode along the ranks, to
animate his troops, he received a mortal ftroke from the javelin of
Andages, a noble Oftrogoth, and immediately fell from his horfe.
The wounded king was opprefied in the general diforder, and trampled
under the feet of his own cavalry ; and this important death ferved to
explain the ambiguous prophecy of the Harufpices. Attila already
exulted in the confidence of victory, when the valiant Torifmond
defcended from the hills, and verified the remainder of the predic-
tion. The Vifigoths, who had been thrown into confufion by the
flight, or defection, of the Alani, gradually reftored their order of
battle ; and the Huns were undoubtedly vanquifhed, fince Attila was
compelled to retreat. He had expcfed his perfon with the rafhnefs
of a private foldier ; but the intrepid troops of the centre had pufhed
forwards beyond the reft of the line : their attack was faintly fup-

The exprcflions of Jornandes, or rather (Hift. Critique, torn. i. p. 392, 393.) at-

of Caffiodorius, are extremely ftrong. Bellum tempts to reconcile the 162,000 of Jornan-

atrox, multiplex, immane, pertinax, cui fi- des, with the 300,000 of Idatius and Ifidore ;

mili nulla ufquam narrat antiquitas : ubi by fuppofing, that the larger number in-

talia gefta referuntur, ut nihil eflet quod in eluded the total deftruclion of the war, the

vita fua confpicere potuiflet egregius, qui effects of difeafe, the flaughter of the unarm-

hujus miraculi privaretur afpeclu. Dubos ed people, Sec.

* ported ;

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

ported ; their flanks were unguarded ; and the conquerors of Scythla c I^„p*

A/v A. V •

and Germany were faved by the approach of the night from a total < * '

defeat. They retired within the circle of waggons that fortified their
camp ; and the difmounted fquadrons prepared themfelves for a de-
fence, to which neither their arms, nor their temper, were adapted.
The event was doubtful : but Attila had fecured a laft and honour-
able refource. The faddles and rich furniture of the cavalry were
collected, by his order, into a funeral pile ; and the magnanimous
Barbarian had refolved, if his intrenchments mould be forced, to
rufh headlong into the flames, and to deprive his enemies of the
glory which they might have acquired, by the death or captivity of
Attila45.

But his enemies had paffed the night in equal diforder and anxiety. Retreat of
The inconfiderate courage of Torifmond was tempted to urge the
purfuit, till he unexpectedly found himfelf, with a few followers, in
the midft of the Scythian waggons. In the confufion of a nocturnal
combat, he was thrown from his horfe ; and the Gothic prince mult
have perimed like his father, if his youthful ftrength, and the intre-
pid zeal of his companions, had not refcued him from this dangerous
fituation. In the fame manner, but on the left of the line, iEtius
himfelf, feparated from his allies, ignorant of their victory, and
anxious for their fate, encountered and efcaped the hoftile troopsr
that were fcattered over the plains of Chalons ; and at length reached
the camp of the Goths, which he could only fortify with a flight
rampart of fhields, till the dawn of day. The Imperial general was
foon fatisfied of the defeat of Attila, who ftill remained inactive
within his intrenchments ; and when he contemplated the bloody
fcene, he obferved, with fecret fatisfaction, that the lofs had prraci-

45 The count de Buat (Hift. des Peuples, two great battles; the former near Orleans,.
&c. torn. vii. p. 554— 573. ), Hill depend- the latter in Champagne : in the one, Theo-
ing on the falfe, and again reje&ing the true doric was flain ; in the other, he was re-
Idatius, has divided the defeat of Attila into venged,

pally

4i6 . THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, pally fallen on the Barbarians. The body of Theodoric, pierced
i_ — . — with honourable wounds, was difcovered under a heap of the (lain :
his fubje&s bewailed the death of their king and father; but their
tears were mingled with fongs and acclamations, and his funeral rites
were performed in the face of a vanquifhed enemy. The Goths,
claming their arms, elevated on a buckler his eldeft fon Torifmond,
to whom they juflly afcribed the glory of their fuccefs ; and the new
king accepted the obligation of revenge, as a facred portion of his
paternal inheritance. Yet the Goths themfelves were aftonifhed by
the fierce and undaunted afpect of their formidable antagonift ; and
their hiftorian has compared Attila to a lion encompafled in his den,
and threatening his hunters with redoubled fury. The kings and
nations, who might have deferted his ftandard in the hour of dif-
trefs, were made fenfible, that the difpleafure of their monarch was
the mod imminent and inevitable danger. All his inftruments of
martial mufic inceffantly founded a loud and animating ftrain of de-
fiance ; and the foremoft troops who advanced to the affault, were
checked, or deftroyed, by mowers of arrows from every fide of the
intrenchments. It was determined in a general council of war, to
befiege the king of the Huns in his camp, to intercept his provifions,
and to reduce him to the alternative of a difgraceful treaty, or an
unequal combat. But the impatience of the Barbarians foon dif-
dained thefe cautious and dilatory meafures : and the mature po-
licy of iEtius was apprehenfive, that, after the extirpation of the
Huns, the republic would be opprefled by the pride and power of
the Gothic nation. The patrician exerted the fuperior afcendant
of authority and reafon, to calm the paffions, which the fon of Theo-
ric confidered as a duty ; reprefented, with feeming affection, and
real truth, the dangers of abfence and delay ; and perfuaded Torif-
mond to difappoint, by his fpeedy return, the ambitious defigns of
his brothers, who might occupy the throne and treafures of Thou-

loufe.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 417

Ioufe*\ After the departure of the Goths, and the feparation of the Cx"x^p*

allied army, Attila was furprifed at the vaft filence that reigned over 1 v — -f

the plains of Chalons : the fufpicion of fome hoftile ftratagem de-
tained him feveral days within the circle of his waggons ; and his
retreat beyond the Rhine confeifed the laft victory which was at-
chieved in the name of the Weftern empire. Meroveus and his
Franks, obferving a prudent diftance, and magnifying the opinion
of their ftrength, by the numerous fires which they kindled every
night, continued to follow the rear of the Huns, till they reached
the confines of Thuringia. The Thuringians ferved in the army of
Attila : they traverfed, both in their march and in their return, the
territories of the Franks ; and it was perhaps in this war that they
exercifed the cruelties, which, about fourfcore years afterwards, were
revenged by the fon of Clovis. They mafTacred their hofiages, as
well as their captives : two hundred young maidens were tortured
with exquifite and unrelenting rage ; their bodies were torn afunder
by wild horfes, or their bones were crufhed under the weight of
rolling waggons ; and their unburied limbs were abandoned on the
public roads, as a prey to dogs and vultures. Such were thofe lavage
anceftors, whofe imaginary virtues have fometimes excited the praife
and envy of civilized ages47!

Neither the fpirit, nor the forces, nor the reputation, of Attila, Invafion of
were impaired by the failure of the Gallic expedition. In the en- [j^f 1

Jornandes de Rebus Geticis, c. 41. 47 Thefe cruelties, which are pafiionately

p. 6ji. The policy of ^Etius, and the be- deplored by Thcodoric the fon of Clovis

haviour of Torifmond, are extremely na- (Gregory of Tours, 1. iii. c. lo. p. 190 ),

tural ; and the patrician, according to Gre- fuit the time and circumft£nces of the inva-

gory of Tours (1. ii. c. 7. p. 163.), dif- fion of Attila. His refidence in Thuringia

mined the prince of the Franks, by fuggefting was long at celled by popular tradition ; and

to him a fimilar apprehenfion. The falfe he is fuppofed to have afiembled a csuravltai,

Idatius ridiculoiiily pretends, that ^Etius paid or diet, in the territory of Eifenach. Sec

a clandeftine, ncclurnr.l, viHt to the kings of Mafcou, ix. 30. who fettles with nice accu-

the Huns and of the Vifigoths ; from each of racy the extent of ancient Thuringia, and

whom he obtained a bribe of ten thoufand derives its name from the Gc;hic tribe of

pieces of gold, as the price of an imdifturbed the Thcrving't.
retreat.

Vol. III. 3 H fuiug

A. D. 452.

THE DECLINE AND FALL

fuing fpring, he repeated his demand, of the princefs Honoria, and
her patrimonial treafures. The demand was again rejected, or
eluded ; and the indignant lover immediately took the field, pafled
the Alps, invaded Italy, and befieged Aquileia with an innumerable
hoft of Barbarians. Thofe Barbarians were unfkilled in the methods
of conducting a regular fiege, which, even among the ancients, re-
quired fome knowledge, or at leaft fome practice, of the mechanic
arts. But the labour of many thoufand provincials and captives,,
whofe lives were facrificed without pity, might execute the moft
painful and dangerous work. The fkill of the Roman artifts might
be corrupted to the deftrucHon of their country. The walls of Aqui-
leia were afTaulted by a formidable train of battering rams, move-
able turrets, and engines, that threw ftones, darts, and fire 48 ; and
the monarch of the Huns employed the forcible impulfe of hope,
fear, emulation, and intereft, to fubvert the only barrier which de-
layed the conqueft of Italy. Aquileia was at that period one of the
richeft, the moll populous, and the ftrongeft of the maritime cities
of the Hadriatic coaft. The Gothic auxiliaries, who appear to have
ferved under their native princes Alaric and Antala, communi-
cated their intrepid fpirit ; and the citizens ftill remembered the
glorious and fuccefsful refinance, which their anceftors had oppofed
to a fierce, inexorable Barbarian, who difgraced the majefty of the
Roman purple. Three months were confumed without efFect in the
fiege of Aquileia ; till the want of provifions, and the clamours of
his army, compelled Attila to relinquifh the enterprife ; and re-
luctantly to i(Tuc his orders, that the troops mould ftrike their tents

*8 Machinis confrniflis, omnibufque tor- In the defence of their country, the Chinefe
mentcrum generibus adhibitis. Jornandes, ufed gunpowder, and even bombs, above an
c. 42. p. 673. In the thirteenth century, hundred years before they were known in
the Moguls battered the cities of China with Europe; yet even thofe celeitial, or infer-
large engines, confiru&ed by the Mahomet- nal, arms were inefficient to protedl a pufil-
ans cr Chriilians in their fervice, which lanimous nation. See Gaubil. Hift. des
threw Hones from 150 to 300 pounds weight. Mongous, p. 70, 71. 155. 157, &c.

the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 419

the next morning, and begin their retreat. But as he rode round c H A?-

t X X X V •

the walls, penfive, angry, and difappointed, he obferved a ftork, v

preparing to leave her neft, in one of the towers, and to fly with
her infant family towards the country. He feized, with the ready
penetration of a ftatefman, this trifling incident, which chance had
offered to fuperftition ; and exclaimed, in a loud and cheerful tone,
that fuch a domeftic bird, fo conftantly attached to human fociety,
would never have abandoned her ancient feats, unlefs thofe towers
had been devoted to impending ruin and folitude 45>. The favourable
omen infpired an affurance of victory ; the fiege was renewed, and
profecuted with frefh vigour ; a large breach was made in the part
of the wall from whence the ftork had taken her flight ; the Huns
mounted to the affault with irrefiftible fury ; and the fucceeding ge-
neration could fcarcely difcover the ruins of Aquileia 50. After this
dreadful chaftifement, Attila purfued his march ; and as he pafTed,
the cities of Altinum, Concordia, and Padua, were reduced into
heaps of ftones and afhes. The inland towns, Vicenza, Verona,
and Bergamo, were expofed to the rapacious cruelty of the Huns.
Milan and Pavia fubmitted, without refiftance, to the lofs of their
wealth ; and applauded the unufual clemency, which preferved from
the flames the public, as well as private, buildings ; and fpared the
lives of the captive multitude. The popular traditions of Comum,
Turin, or Modena, may juftly be fufpec~ted ; yet they concur with
more authentic evidence to prove, that Attila fpread his ravages
over the rich plains of modern Lombardy ; which are divided by

49 The fame ftory is told by Jornandes, terwards, affirms, that Aquileia was fo com-

and by Procopius (de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. c. 4. pletely ruined, ita ut vix ejus vefligia, ut

p. 187, 188.): nor is it eafy to decide, which appareant, reiiquerint. Seejornandes de Reb.

is the original. But the Greek hiftorian is Geticis, c. 42. p. 673. Paul. Diacon. I. ii.

guilty of an inexcufeable miftake, in placing c. 14. p. 785. Liutprand Hift. 1. iii. c. 2.

the fiege of Aquileia after the death of The name of Aquileia was fometimes applied

jEtius. to Forum Julii (Cividad del Friuli), the

*° Jornandes, about an hundred years af- more recent capital of the Venetian province,

3 H 2 the

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H A P. the Po, and bounded by the Alps and Apennine *\ When he took
■_. ^- ./ poffeffion of the royal palace of Milan, he was furprifed, and of-
fended, at the fight of a picture, which reprefented the Caefars
feated on their throne, and the princes of Scythia proftrate at their
feet. The revenge which Attila inflicted on this monument of Ro-
man vanity, was harmlefs and ingenious. He commanded a painter
to reverfe the figures, and the attitudes ; and the emperors were de-
lineated on the fame canvafs, approaching in a fuppliant pofture to
empty their bags of tributary gold before the throne of the Scythian
monarch 5\ The fpeclators muft have confeffed the truth and pro-
priety of the alteration ; and were perhaps tempted to apply, on thrs
fingular occafion, the well-known fable of the difpute between the
lion and the man

Foundation It is a faying worthy of the ferocious pride of Attila, that the grafs
UcoTVenice" never grew on the fpot where his horfe had trod. Yet the favage
deftroyer undefignedly laid the foundations of a republic, which re-
vived, in the feudal ftate of Europe, the art and fpirit of commercial
induftry. The celebrated name of Venice, or Venetia 5+, was for-
merly diffufed over a large and fertile province of Italy, from the

51 In defcribing this war of Attila, a war The lion in Phardrus very foolilhly appeals

fo famous, but fo imperfectly known, I have from pictures to the amphitheatre :. and I am

taken for my guides two learned Italians, glad to obferve, that the native tafte of La

who confidered the fubjett with fome pecu- Fontaine (1. iii. fable x.) has omitted tbis

liar advantages ; Sigonius, de Imperio Occi- moit lame and impotent conclufion.

dentali, I. xiii. in his works torn. i. p. 495 — 5+ Paul the Deacon (deGeftis Langobard.

502.; andMuratori, Annali d'ltalia, torn. iv. 1. ii. c. 14. p. 7^4.) defcribes the provinces

p. 229 — 256, 8vo edition. of Italy about the end of the eighth century^

. „, . . , c , , Ver.etia non folum in paucis infulis quas nunc

5Z This anecdote may be found under two 1S7 ,. . rn - . . n

j \ri Venetias dicimus, conitat : led ejus terminus

different articles liuSio^emt and r.oevxoc 1 01 the . „ - . ...

.„ ,, ■, • ro •% a rannoma: nnious ulque Adduam fluvium

milcellaneous compilation or buidas. - _ _ . \.A ^ c , , . ...

^ r protelatur. j he hiicory of that province till

53 Leo refpondif, humana hoc piclum the age of Charlemagne forms the firft and

manu : mofl interefting part of the Verona Illuftrata

Videres hominem dejectum, fi pingere (p. 1 — 388.), in which the marquis Scipio

Leones fcirent. Maffei has Ihewn himfelf equally capable of

Appendix ad Phaedrum, Fab. xxv. enlarged views and minute difquifitions.

confines.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

confines of Pannonia to the river Addua, and from the Po to the Rha> c ^ ^ p.

AAA V •

tian and Julian Alps. Before the irruption of the Barbarians, fifty < „ *

Venetian cities flourifhed in peace and profperity : Aquileia was placed
in the mod confpicuous ftation ; but the ancient dignity of Padua
was fupported by agriculture and manufactures ; and the property
of five hundred citizens, who were entitled to the equeftrian rank,
muft have amounted, at the ftricteft computation,, to one million
feven hundred thoufand pounds. Many families of Aquileia, Pa-
dua, and the adjacent towns, who fled from the fword of the Huns,
found a fafe, though obfcure, refuge in the neighbouring iflands s\
At the extremity of the Gulf, where the Hadriatic feebly imitates
the tides of the ocean, near an hundred fmall iflands are fepa-
rated by fhallow water from the continent, and protected from
the waves by feveral long flips of land, which admit the entrance of
veflels through fome fecret and narrow channels 5S. Till the middle
of the fifth century, thefe remote and fequeftered fpots remained
without cultivation, with few inhabitants, and almoft without a
name. But the manners of the Venetian fugitives, their arts and
their government, were gradually formed by their new fituation ; and
one of the epiftles of Cailiodorius which defcribes their condition
about feventy years afterwards, may be confidered as the primitive mo-
nument of the republic. The minifter of Theodoric compares them,

55 This emigration is not attefled by any Maffei (Verona I'lluftrata, part i. p. 240 —

contemporary evidence ; but the fact is proved 254.) has tranflated and explained this cu-

by the event, and the circumftances might be rious letter, in the fpirit of a learned anti-

prcierved by tradition. The citizens of A- quarian and a faithful fubjeft, who confi-

quileia retired to the Ifle of Gradus, thofc of dered Venice as the only legitimate offspring

Padua to Rivus Altus, or Rialto, where the of the Roman republic. He fixes the date of

city of Venice was afterwards built, &c. the epiltle, and confequentiy the prefecture,

5ft The topography and antiquities of the of Caffiodorjus, A. D. 523 ; and the mar-
Venetian iflands, from Gradus to Clodia, quis's authority has the more weight, as he
rr Chioggia, are accurately ftated in the had prepared an edition of his works, and
Difiertatio Chorographica de Italia Medii actually publiihcd a Diflertation on the true
iEvi, p. 1^1 — 155. orthography of his name. See Oflervazioni

57 Cafllodor. Variar. 1. xii. epift. 24. Lctterarie, tcm. ii. p. 290 -559.

8 in

422 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. jn his quaint declamatory ftyle, to water-fowl, who had fixed their
I- — „— _> nefts on the bofom of the waves ; and though he allows, tha. the
Venetian provinces had formerly contained many noble families, he
insinuates, that they were now reduced by misfortune to the fame
level of humble poverty. Fifh was the common, and almoft the
univerfal, food of every rank : their only treafure coniifted in the
plenty of fait, which they extracted from the fea : and the exchange
of that commodity, fo effential to human life, was fubftituted in the
neighbouring markets to the currency of gold and filver. A people,
■whofe habitations might be doubtfully afligned to the earth or water,
foon became alike familiar with the two elements ; and the demands
of avarice fucceeded to thofe of neceflity. The iflanders, who, from
Grado to Chiozza, were intimately connected with each other, pe-
netrated into the heart of Italy, by the fecure, though laborious,
navigation of the rivers and inland canals. Their vefleSft, which were
continually increasing in lize and number, vifited all the harbours of
the Gulf ; and the marriage, which Venice annually celebrates with
the Hadriatic, was contracted in her early infancy. The epiftle of
Cafliodorius, the Praetorian prefect, is addrefied to the maritime
tribunes : and he exhorts them, in a mild tone of authority, to ani-
mate the zeal of their countrymen for the public fervice, which re-
quired their amftance to tranfport the magazines of wine and oil
from the province of Iilria to the royal city of Ravenna. The am-
biguous oflice of thefe magiftrates is explained by the tradition, that,
in the twelve principal iflands, twelve tribunes, or judges, were cre-
ated by an annual and popular election. The exiftence cf the Ve-
netian republic under the Gothic kingdom of Italy, is attefted by the
fame authentic record, which annihilates their lofty claim of ori-
ginal and perpetual independence s\

The-

58 See, in the fecond volume of Amelot Venife, a tranflation of the famous Squlttenio.
de la Houffaie Hifioire du Gouvernement de This book, which has been exalted far above

its

Romans.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 423

The Italians, who had long fmce renounced the exercife of arms, c H A p»

1 XXXV.

were furprifed, after forty years peace, by the approach of a formi- < '

dable Barbarian, whom they abhorred, as the enemy of their reli- peace to die
gion, as well as of their republic. Amidft the general confternation,
jEtius alone was incapable of fear ; but it was impotable that he mould
atchieve, alone, and unafTifted, any military exploits worthy of his
former renown. The Barbarians who had defended Gaul, refufed
to march to the relief of Italy ; and the fuccours promifed by the
Eaftern emperor were diftant and doubtful. Since iEtius, at the
head of his domeftic troops, ftill maintained the field, and haraffed
or retarded the march of Attila, he never mewed himfelf more truly
great, than at the time when his conduct was blamed by an ignorant
and ungrateful people 5'. If the mind of Valentinian had been fuf-
ceptible of any generous fentiments, he would have chofen fuch a
general for his example and his guide. But the timid grandfon of
Theodofius, inftead of fharing the dangers, efcaped from the found
of war ; and his hafty retreat from Ravenna to Rome, from an im-
pregnable fortrefs to an open capital, betrayed his fecret intention of
abandoning Italy, as foon as the danger mould approach his Imperial
perfon. This fhameful abdication was fufpended, however, by the
fpirit of doubt and delay, which commonly adheres to pufillanimous
counfels, and fometimes corrects their pernicious tendency. The
Weftern emperor, with the fenate and people of Rome, embraced
-the more falutary refolution of deprecating, by a folemn and fup-
pliant embaffy, the wrath of Attila. This important commiffion

Its merits, is fbined, in every line, with the viribus, quas in Gallia amiferat, Italiam in-
difingenucus malevolence of party: but gredi per Pannonias intendit ; nihil duce
theprinripalevider.ee, genuine and apocry noftro ^Etio fecundum prioris belli opera
phal, is brought together, and the reader profpiciente, &c. He reproaches Otitis with
will eafily chafe the fair medium. neglecting to guard the Alps, and with a de-
59 Sirmond (Not. ad Sidon. Apollin. p. fign to abandon Italy : but this rafli cenfure
19.). has publimed a curious paflage from the may at leait be counterbalanced by the fa-
Chronicle of Profper. Attila redintegratis vourable teltimoniesof ldatius and Ifidore.

2. was.

THE DECLINE AND FALL

was accepted by Avienus, who, from his birth and riches, his con-
fular dignity, the numerous train of his clients, and his perfonal
abilities, held the firft rank in the Roman fenate. ' The fpecious
and artful character of Avienus 6°, was admirably qualified to con-
duct a negociation, either of public or private intereft : his colleague
Trigetius had exercifed the Praetorian prsefecture of Italy ; and Leo,
bifhop of Rome, confented to expofe his life for the fafety of his
flock. The genius of Leo 61 was exercifed and difplayed in the
public misfortunes ; and he has deferved the appellation of Great,
by the fuccefsful zeal, with which he laboured to eftablim his opi-
nions, and his authority, under the venerable names of orthodox
faith, and ecclefiaftical difcipline. The Roman ambalTadors were
introduced to the tent of Attila, as he lay encamped at the place
where the flow-winding Mincius is loft in the foaming waves of the
lake Benacus61, and trampled with his Scythian cavalry the farms
of Catullus and Virgil f'\ The Barbarian monarch liftened with fa-
vourable, and even refpectful, attention ; and the deliverance of
Italy was purchafed by the immenfe ranfom, or dowry, of the prin-
cefs Honoria. The Hate of his army might facilitate the treaty,

*° See the original portraits of Avienus,
and his rival Bafilius, delineated and con-
trafted in the epiftles (i. 9. p. 22.) of Sido-
rius. He had ftudied the characters of the
two chie^of the fenate; but he attached
himfelf to Bafilius, as the more folid and
idifinterefted friend.

61 The character and principles of Leo,
may be traced in one hundred and forty-one
original epiftles, which illuftrate the eccle-
fiaftical hiftory of his long and bufy ponti-
ficate, from A. D. 440, to 461. SeeDupin,
"Bibliotheque Ecclefiaftique, torn. iii. part ii.
j>. 1 20— 165.

61 tardis ingens ubi flexibus errat

Mincius, et tcneru pr^texit arundine ripas

Anne lacus tantos, te Lari maxime, teque
FlucYibus, et fremitu alTurgens Benace ma-
rine.

63 The Marquis Maffei (Verona Illuftrata,
parti, p. 95. 129.221. part ii. p. ii. 6.) has
illuftrated with tafte and learning this interelt-
ing topography. He places the interview of
Attila and St. Leo near Ariolica, or Ardelica,
now Pefchicra, at the conflux of the lake and
river ; afecrtains the villa of Catullus, in
the delightful peninfula of Sarmio, and dis-
covers the Andes of Virgil, in the village
cf Bandes, precifely fituate, qua fe fubducere
cclles incipiunt, where the Veronefe hills
imperceptibly Hope down into the plain of
Mantua.

and

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

and haften his retreat. Their martial fpirit was relaxed by the cJi£r*'

A. A. A. V •

wealth and indolence of a warm climate. The fhepherds of the '-■ « " ~*.
North, whofe ordinary food confifted of milk and rawilefh, indulged
themfelves too freely in the ufe of bread, of wine, and of meat,
prepared and feafoned by the arts of cookery ; and the progrefs of
difeafe revenged in fome meafure the injuries of the Italians6*. When
Attila declared his refolution of carrying his victorious arms to the
gates of Rome, he was admonifhed by his friends, as well as by his
enemies, that Alarie had not long furvived the conqueft of the eternal -
city. His mind, fuperior to real danger, was afTaulted by imaginary
terrors ; nor could he efcape the influence of fuperftition, which had
fo often been fubfervient to his defigns65. The prefling eloquence
of Leo, his majeftic afpect, and facerdotal robes, excited the vene-
ration of Attila for the fpiritual father of the Chriftians. The ap-
parition of the two apoflles, St. Peter and St. Paul, who menaced
the Barbarian with inftant death, if he rejected the prayer of their
fucceflbr, is one of the nobleft legends of ecclefiaftical tradition. The
fafety of Rome might deferve the interpofition of celeftial beings j
and fome indulgence is due to a fable, which has been reprefented
by the pencil of Raphael, and the chirlel of Algardi 6<s.

Before the king of the Huns evacuated Italy, he threatened to The death of
return more dreadful, and more implacable, if his bride, the princefs a'd^j,

64 Si -ftatim infcllo agmine urbem pctiil- mentioned the effect which this example pro-

fent, grande difcrimen efiet : fed in Venetia duced on the mind of Attila. Jornandes, c

quo fere tra&u Italia mollifiima eft, ipsa foli 42. p. 673.

ccelique dementia robur elanguit. Adhcc 66 The pifture of Raphael is in the Vati-

panis usu carnifque cocla?, et dulcedine vini can; the baflb (or perhaps the alto) relievo

mitigatos, &c. This paffage of Florus (iii. of Algardi, on one of the altars of St. Peter's

3.) is ftill more applicable to the Huns than (fee Dubos, Reflexions fur la Poefie et fur

to the Cimbri, and it may ferve asacommen- la Peirrfure, torn. i. p. 519, 520.). Baronius

tary on the celeftial plague, with which Idatius (Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 452. N° 57, 58.)

and Ifidore have afflicted the troops of At- bravely fuftains the truth of the apparit'-

*ila> which is rejected, however, K* l *

«J The hiftorian Prifcus had pofitively learned and pious Catholic* "/ '

. VOL. III. o I Hn .

Honona,

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. Honoria, were not delivered to his ambafTadors within the term
ftipulated by the treaty. Yet, in the mean while, Attila relieved his
tender anxiety, by adding a beautiful maid, whofe name was Ildico,
to the lift of his innumerable wives 6\ Their marriage was celebrated
with barbaric pomp and feftivity,. at his wooden palace beyond tha
Danube ; and the monarch,, oppreffed with wine and fleep, retired,
at a late hour, from the banquet to the nuptial bed. His attendants-
continued to refpect his pleafures, or his repofe, the greateft part
of the enfuing day, till the unufual filence alarmed their fears and
fufpicions ; and, after attempting to awaken Attik by loud and re-
peated cries, they at length broke into the royal apartment. They
found the trembling bride fitting by the bedfide, hiding her face
with her veil, and lamenting her own danger, as well as the death
of the king, who had expired during the night68. An artery had
fuddenly burft ; and as Attila lay in a fupine pofture, he was fuffo-
cated by a torrent of blood, which, inftead of finding a paflage
through the noftrils, regurgitated into the lungs and ftomach. His
body was folemnly expofed in the midft of the plain, under a filken
pavilion ; and the chofen fqu.adrons of the Huns, wheeling round
in meafured evolutions, chaunted a funeral fong to the memory of
a hero, glorious in his life, invincible in his death, the father of

*7 Attila, ut Prifcus hiftorkus refert, ex- fons a prior right of inheritance. See Ge*

tinftionis fuae tempore, puellam Ildico no- nealogical Hiftory, p. 406, 407, 408.

mine, decoram valde, fibi matrimonium poll 63 The report of her guilt reached Con-

innumerabiles uxeres . . focians. Jornandes, ftantinople, where it obtained a very different

c. 49. p. 683, 684. He afterwards adds (c. name ; and Marcellinus obferves, that the

50. p. 686.), Fiiii Attilae, quorum perlicen- tyrant of Europe was flain in the night by

tiam libidinis pcenepopulus fuit. Polygamy the hand, and the knife, of a woman. Cor-

iias been efcabiifhed among the Tartars of neille, who has adapted the genuine account

every age. The rank of plebeian wives is to his tragedy, defcribes the irruption of

regulated only by their perfonal charms; blood in forty bom baft lines, and Attila ex -

and the faded matron prepares, without a claims, with ridiculous fury,

murmur, the bed which is deftined for her S'il ne veut s'arreter (his blood),

.blooming rival. B.ut in royal families, the (Dit-il) on me payera ce qui m'en' va

daughters of Khans communicate, to their couter.

X his

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 427

Ms people, the fcourge of his enemies, and the terror of the world. cx^j^p*

According to their national cuftom, the Barbarians cut off a part of \ v —

their hair, gained their faces with unfeemly wounds, and bewailed
their valiant leader as he deferved, not with the tears of women,
but with the blood of warriors. The remains of Attila were in-
clofed within three coffins, of gold, of filver, and of iron, and pri-
vately buried in the night: the . fpoils of nations were thrown into
his grave ; the captives who had opened the ground were inhumanly
maffacred ; and the fame Huns, who had indulged fuch exceffive
grief, feafted, with diflblute and intemperate mirth, about the recent
fepulchre of their king. It was reported at Constantinople, that on
the fortunate night in which he expired, Marcian beheld in a dream
the bow of Attila broken afunder : and the report may be allowed
to prove, how feldom the image of that formidable Barbarian was
abfent from the mind of a Roman emperor 6g.

The revolution which fubverted the empire of the Huns, efta- Definition

r a '1 1/- • of his empire.

blilhed the fame or Attila, whole genius alone had fuftained the
huge and disjointed fabric. After his death, the boldeft chieftains
afpired to the rank of kings ; the moll powerful kings refufed to
acknowledge a fuperior ; and the numerous fons, whom fo many va-
rious mothers bore to the deceafed monarch, divided and difputcd,
Hke a private inheritance, the fovereign command of the nations of
Germany and Scythia. The bold Ardaric felt and reprefented the
difgrace of this fervile partition; and his fubjects, the warlike Ge-
pidse, with the Oftrogoths, under the conduct of three valiant bro-
thers, encouraged their allies to vindicate the rights of freedom and
royalty. In a bloody and decilive conflict on the banks of the river
Netad, in Pannonia, the lance of the Gepidae, the fword of the
Goths, the arrows of the Huns, the Suevic infantry, the light arms

65 The curious circumftances of the death des (c. 49. p. 683, 684, 63;.), and were
and funeral of Attila, are related by Jornan- probably tranfcribed from Prifcus.

3 I 2 of

THE DECLINE AND FALL

of the Heruli, and the heavy weapons of the Alani, encountered or
fupported each other ; and the victory of Ardaric was accompanied
with the Daughter of thirty thoufand of his enemies. Ellac, the
eldefl fon of Attila, loft his life and crown in the memorable battle
of Netad : his early valour had raifed him to the throne of the
Acatzires, a Scythian people, whom he fubdued ; and his father,,
who loved the fuperior merit, would have envied the death, of
Ellac70. His brother Dengifich, with an army of Huns, ftill formi-
dable in their flight and ruin, maintained his ground above fifteen
years on the banks of the Danube. The palace of Attila, with the
old country of Dacia, from the Carpathian hills to the Euxine, be-
came the feat of a new power, which was erected by Ardaric, king
of the Gepidas. The Pannonian conquefts, from Vienna to Sir-
mium, were occupied by the Oftrogoths ; and the fettlements of the
tribes, who had fo bravely aflerted their native freedom, were ir-
regularly diftributed, according to the meafure of their refpective
ftrength. Surrounded and oppreffed by the multitude of his father's
flaves, the kingdom of Dengifich was confined to the circle of his
waggons ; his defperate courage urged him to invade the Eaftern
empire ; he fell in battle ; and his head, ignominioufly expofed in
the Hippodrome, exhibited a grateful fpedtacle to the people of Con-
stantinople. Attila had fondly or fuperftitioufly believed, that Irnac,
the youngeft of his fons, was deftined to perpetuate the glories of
his race. The character of that prince, who attempted to moderate
the rafhnefs of his brother Dengifich, was more fuitable to the declin-
ing condition of the Huns ; and Irnac, with his fubjecl: hords, retired

70 See Jomandes, de Rebus Geticis, c. fuorum cunfta tela frangentem, Suevum

50. p. 685, 686, 687, 688. His diftinclion pede, Hunnum fagitta prsfumere, Alanum

of the national arms is curious and import- gravi, Herulum levi, armatura, aciem in-

ant. Nam ibi admirandum reor fuifle fpedta- ftruere. I am not precifely informed of the

culum, ubi cernere erat cunclis, pugnantem fituation of the river Netad.
Gothum enfe furentem, Gepidamin vulnere

7 into

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 429

into the heart of the Leffer Scythia. They were foon overwhelmed Cx^^p*

by a torrent of new Barbarians, who followed the fame road which ' ^— — »

their own anceftors had formerly difcovered. The Geoagen, or
Avares, whofe refidence is affigned by the Greek writers to the
fhores of the ocean, impelled the adjacent tribes ; till at length the
Igours of the North, hTuing from the cold Siberian regions, which
produce the moll valuable furs, fpread themfelves over the defert,
as far as the Borifthenes and the Cafpian gates ; and finally extin-
guished the empire of the Huns71.

Such an event might contribute to the fafety of the Eaftern em- Valentinian
pire, under the reign of a prince, who conciliated the friendfhip, pitriclan'^
without forfeiting the efteem, of the Barbarians. But the emperor 'f^'
of the Weft, the feeble and diffolute Valentinian, who had reached
his thirty-fifth year, without attaining the age of reafon or courage,
abufed this apparent fecurity, to undermine the foundations of his
own throne, by the murder of the patrician iEtius. From the inftincl:
of a bafe and jealous mind, he hated the man, who was univerfally
celebrated as the terror of the Barbarians, and the fupport of the
republic ; and his new favourite, the eunuch Heraclius, awakened
the emperor from the fupine lethargy, which might be difguifed,
during the life of Placidia 7\ by the excufe of filial piety. The
fame of JEtius, his wealth and dignity, the numerous and martial
train of Barbarian followers, his powerful dependents, who filled the
civil offices of the Hate, and the hopes of his fon Gaudentius, who

71 Two modern hiftorians have thrown A. D. 450. She was buried at Ravenna,

much new light on the ruin and divifion of where her fepulchre, and even her corpfe,

the empire'of A ttila. M. de Buat, by his la- feated in a chair of cyprefs wood, were pre-

borious and minute diligence (torn. viii. p. ferved for ages. The emprefs received many

3 — 31. 68 — 94.); and M. de Guignes, by compliments from the orthodox clergy; and

his extraordinary knowledge of the Chinefe St. Peter Chryfologus allured her, that her

language and writers. See Hift. des Huns, zeal for the Trinity had been recompenfed

torn. ii. p. 315 — 319. by an augult trinity of children. See Tille-

iz Placidia died at Rome, November 27, mont, Hift. des Emp. torn. vi. p. 240.

was

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. was already contra&ed to Eudoxia, the emperor's daughter, had

— „ ' railed him above the rank of a fubjett. The ambitious defigns, of

which he was fecretly accufed, excited the fears, as well as the re-
fentment, of Valentinian. iErius himfelf, fupported by the con-
fcioufnefs of his merit, his fervices, and perhaps his innocence,
-feems to have maintained a haughty and indifcreet behaviour. The
patrician offended his fovereign by an hoftile declaration ; he aggra-
vated the offence, by compelling him to ratify, with a folemn oath,
a treaty of reconciliation and alliance ; he proclaimed his fufpicions ;
he neglected his fafety ; and from a vain confidence that the enemy,
whom he defpifed, was incapable even of a manly crime, he rafhly
ventured his perfon in the palace of Rome. Whilft he urged, per-
haps with intemperate vehemence, the marriage of his fonj Valen-
tinian, drawing his fword, the firftfword he had ever drawn, plunged
it in the breafl of a general who had faved his empire : his courtiers
and eunuchs ambitioufly ftruggled to imitate their mafter ; and
iEtius, pierced with an hundred wounds, fell dead in the royal
prefence. Boethius, the Prcctorian prefect, was killed at the fame
moment ; and before the event could be divulged, the principal
friends of the patrician were fummoned to the palace, and feparately
murdered. The horrid deed, palliated by the fpecious names of
juftice and neceffity, was immediately communicated by the emperor
to his foldiers, his fubjcfts, and his allies. The nations, who were
ftrangers or enemies to iEtius, generoufly deplored the unworthy
fate of a hero : the Barbarians, who had been attached to his fer-
vice, diflembled their grief and refentment; and the public contempt,
which had been fo long entertained for Valentinian, was at once
•converted into deep and univerfal abhorrence. Such fentiments fel-
dom pervade the walls of a palace ; yet the emperor was confounded
by the honeft reply of a Roman, whofe approbation he had not
difdained to folicit. " I am ignorant, Sir, of your motives or pro-

** vocations ;

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 431

" vocations; I only know, that you have acted like a man who C^IXAVP'

" cuts off his right hand with his left73." 1 — >

The luxury of Rome fecms to have attracted the long and fre- and ravifhe*
quent vifits of Valentinian ; who was confequently more defpifed Muxnnui.
at Rome than in any other part of his dominions. A republican
fpirit was infenfibly revived in the fenate, as their authority, and
even their fupplies, became neceffary for the fupport of his feeble
government. The ftately demeanour of an hereditary monarch
offended their pride ; and the pleafures of Valentinian were injurious
to the peace and honour of noble families. The birth of the
emprefs Eudoxia was equal to his own, and her charms and tender
affection deferved thofe teftimonies of love, which her inconftant
hufband diffipated in vague and unlawful amours. Petronius Maxi-
mus, a wealthy fenator of the Anician family, who had been twice
conful, was poffeffed of a chafte and beautiful wife : her obftinate
refiftance ferved only to irritate the defnes of Valentinian ; and he
refolvcd to accomplifh them either by ftratagem or force. Deep
gaming was one of the vices of the court : the emperor, who, by
chance or contrivance, had gained from Maximus a confiderable fum,
uncourteoufly exacted his ring as a fecurity for the debt ; and
lent it by a trufty meffenger to his wife, with an order, in her
hufband's name, that me mould immediately attend the emprefs
Eudoxia. The unfufpecting wife of Maximus was conveyed in her
litter to the Imperial palace ; the emiflaries of her impatient lover
conducted her to a remote and filent bed-chamber; and Valentinian
violated, without remorfe, the laws of hofpitality. Her tears, when
{he returned home ; her deep affliction ; and her bitter reproaches
againft a hufband, whom fhe confidered as the accomplice of his

73Aetium Placidus ma£lavit femivir amens, not inclined to flatter a miniftcrwho had in-
is the expreflion of Sidonius (Panegyr. Avit. jured or difgraced Avitus and Majorian, the
359.). The poet knew the world, and was fucceffive heroes of hisfong.

own

43*

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, own mame, excited Maximus to a iuft revenge : the defire of re-

xxxv. ' . J .b '

' ✓ ' Tenge was ftimulated by ambition ; and he might reafonably afpire,

by the free fufFrage of the Roman fenate, to the throne of a de-
tefted and defpicable rival. Valentinian, who fuppofed that every
human breaft was devoid, like his own, of friendmip and gra-
titude, had imprudently admitted among his guards feveral domef-
tics and followers of iEtius. Two of thefe, of Barbarian race, were
perfuaded to execute a facred and honourable duty, by puniming
with death the afTaflin of their patron; and their intrepid courage
did not long expect a favourable moment. Whilft Valentinian
amufed himfelf in the field of Mars with the fpectacle of fome mili-
tary fports, they fuddenly ruihed upon him with drawn weapons,
difpatched the guilty Heraclius, and {tabbed the emperor to the heart,
without the leaft oppofition from his numerous train, who feemed to
rejoice in the tyrant's death. Such was the fate of Valentinian
the Third74, the laft Roman emperor of the family of Theodo-
fius. He faithfully imitated the hereditary weaknefs of his coufin
and his two uncles, without inheriting the gentlenefs, the purity,
the innocence, which alleviate in their characters the want of fpirit
and ability. Valentinian was lefs excufable, fince he had paffions,
without virtues : even his religion was queftionable ; and though he
never deviated into the paths of herefy, he fcandalized the pious
Chriftians by his attachment to the profane arts of magic and divi-
nation.

Symptoms of . As early as the time of Cicero and Varro, it was the opinion of
ruinf 3n the Roman augurs, that the . twelve vultures, which Romulus had

Death of Va-
lentinian,
A. D. 45,-,
March 16.

74 With regard to the caufe and circum- by five or fix Chronicles, none of which were
fiances of the deaths of ./Etius and Valenti- compofed in Rome or Italy ; and which caa

nian, our information is dark and imperfect.
Procopius (de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. c. 4. p. 186,
iSy, 188.) is a fabulous writer for the events
which precede his own memory. His narra-
te muft therefore be fupplied and corrected

only exprefs, in broken fentences, the popu-
lar rumours, . as they were conveyed to Gaul,
Spain, Africa, Conftantinople, or Alexan-"
dria.

feen,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

feen, reprefented the twelve centuries^ afligned for the fatal period of
his city 7S. This prophecy, difregarded perhaps in the feafon of ^
health and profperity, infpired the people with gloomy apprehen-
fions, when the twelfth century, clouded with difgrace and misfor-
tune, was almoft elapfed 76 ; and -even pofterity mufl acknowledge
with fome furprife, that the arbitraiy interpretation of an accidental
or fabulous circumftance, has been ferioufly verified in the downfall
of the Weftern empire. But its fall was announced by a clearer
omen than the night of vultures : the Roman government appeared
every day lefs formidable to its enemies, more odious and oppreffive
to its fubjects77. The taxes were multiplied with the public diftrefs;
©economy was neglected in proportion as it became necefTary ; and
the injustice of the rich fhifted the unequal burden from themfelves
to the people, whom they defrauded of the indulge?icies that might
fometimes have alleviated their mifery. The fevere inquifition,
wrhich confifcated their goods, and tortured their perfons, compelled
the fubjects of Valentinian to prefer the more fimple tyranny of the
Barbarians, to fly to the woods and mountains, or to embrace the
vile and abject condition of mercenary fervants. They abjured and
abhorred the name of Roman citizens, which had formerly excited

1S This Interpretation of Vettius, a cele-

brated augur, was quoted by Varro, in the Jam prope fata tui biflenas Vulturis alai

xviiith book of his Antiquities. Cenforinus, Implebant ; fcis namque tuos, fcis, Roma,

de Die Natali, c. 17. p. 90, 91. edit. Haver- labores.

camp. See Dubos, Hill. Critique, torn. i. p. 340—

7* According to Varro, the twelfth century 346.

would expire A. D. 447, but the uncertainty 77 The fifth book of Salvian is filled with

of the true a:ra of Rome might allow fome pathetic lamentations, and vehement invec-

latitude of anticipation or delay. The poets tives. His immoderate freedom ferves to

of the age, Claudian (de Bell. Getico, 265.) prove the weaknefs, as well as the corrup-

and Sidonius (in Panegyr. Avit. 357.), may tion, of the Roman government. His book

be admitted as fair witnefl'es of the popular waspublilhed after the lofsof Africa (A. D.

opinion. 439. ), and before Attiia's war (A. D»

Jam reputant annos, interceptoque volatu 45 1.).

■Vulturis, incidunt properatis fajcula metis.

Vol. III. 3 K the

xxxv."

434

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C Hyyv*' ^e ambition of mankind. The Armorican provinces of Gaulr and

AAA V •

c -/ the greateft part of Spain^ were thrown into a ftate of diforderly
independence, by the confederations of the Bagaudse ; and the Im-
perial minifters purfued with profcriptive laws, and ineffectual arms,,
the rebels whom they had made 7\ If all the Barbarian conquerors
had been annihilated in the fame hour, their total deftruction would
not have reftored the empire of the Weft: : and if Rome dill furvived,
ihe furvived the lols of freedom, of virtue, and of honour.

78 The Bsgaudre of Spain, who fought
pitched battles with the Roman troops, axe
repeatedly mentioned in the Chronicle of Ida-
tins. Salvian has defcribed their diftrefs and
rebellion in very forcible language. Itaque
nomen civiom Romanornm . . . nunc nltro
repudiatur ac fugitur, nec vile tamen fed

etiam abominabile pcene habetur Et

hire e(l at etiam hi qui ad Barbaros non con-
fugiunt, Barbari raroea die coguntur, folic st

ut eft pars magna Hifparorum, et non mi-
nima Gallorum De Bagaudis nunc

mihi fermo eft, qui per malos judices et
cruentos fpoliati, amicb', necati poftquank
jus Romans libertatis amiierant,, etiam ho-

norem Romani nominis perdidernnt

Vocamus re belles, vocamus perditos quos efle
compulimus criminofos. De Gubexnat. Dei.
Lv. p. 158, 159..

CHAP.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. . 435

CHAP. XXXVL

Sack of Rome by Genferic^ King of the V anclals. — His
naval Depredates, — Succeffon of the laft Emperors
of the IVefty Maximus, Avitus, Majorian, Severus,
Anthemhs, Olybrius, Glycerins^ JVepos, Auguflulus. —
'Total Extintlion of the Weftern Empire. — Reign of
Odoacery the firji Barbarian King of Italy.

THE lofs or defolation of the provinces, from the ocean to the CHAP,
yyyyt
Alps, impaired the glory and greatnels of Rome : her internal ,

profperity was irretrievably deftroyed by the feparation of Africa. Van"

The rapacious Vandals confiscated the patrimonial eftates of the dais,

r A. D. 439—

Senators, and intercepted the regular lubfidies, which relieved the 455.

poverty, and encouraged the idlenefs, of the plebeians. The diftrefs
of the Romans was foon aggravated by an unexpected attack ; and
the province, fo long cultivated for their ufe by induflrious and
obedient iubjecta, was armed againft them by an ambitious Barba-
rian. The Vandals and Alani, who followed the fuccefsful ftandard
of Genferic, had acquired a rich and fertile territory, which ftretched
along the coaft above ninety days journey from Tangier to Tri-
poli ; but their narrow limits were preffed and confined, on either
fide3 by the fandy defert and the Mediterranean. The difcovery and
conqueft of the Black nations, that might dwell beneath the torrid
zone, couLd not tempt the rational ambition of Genferic : but he

3 K 2 caft

43(5 ■ THE. DECLINE AN-D FALL

A P. q^ft' his eyes towards the fea ; he refolved to create a naval power,,

v— ~ » and his bold refolution was executed with Heady and active perfe--

verance. The woods of mount Atlas afforded an inexhauftible nur —
.fery of timber ; his new fubjects w^re {killed in the arts of naviga- •
tion and fhip-building ; he animated his daring Vandals to embrace :
a mode of warfare which would render every maritime . country
accemble to their arms; the Moors and Africans were allured by
the hopes of plunder; and, after an interval of fix centuries, the
fleets that iffued from the port of Carthage again claimed the empire
of the Mediterranean. The fuccsfs of the Vandals, the conqueft of
Sicily, the fack of Palermo, and the frequent defcents on the coaft
of Lucania, awakened and alarmed the mother of Valentinian, and
the filter of Theodofius. Alliances were formed ; and armaments, .
expenfive amLineffe£tual,> were prepared, for the deftru&ion of the
common enemy ; who referved his courage to encounter thofe
dangers which his policy could not prevent or elude. The defigns*
of the Roman government were repeatedly baffled by his artful
delays, ambiguous promifes, and apparent concefhons' ; and , theK
interpofition of his formidable, confederate . the king of the Huns,,
recalled the emperors from the conqueft of Africa to the care of their
domeftic fafety. The revolutions of the palace, which left the
Weftern empire without a defender, and without a lawful prince,1,
difpelled the apprehenfions, and Simulated the avarice, .of Genferic. -
He immediately equipped a numerous fleet of Vandals and Moors,; .
and cafi: anchor at the mouth of the Tyber, about three months after
the death of: Valentinian,, and the. elevation of Maximus to the Im-
perial throne.

Thecharac- priVate life, of the fenator Petronius Maximus \ was often:

ter and reign * - . . . .

of the empe- alleged as a rare example of human felicity. His birth was noble

rorMaximus, ' _

a. D. 455, an*.

March 17.

1 Sidonius Apollinaris compofed the thir- the paradox of his friend Serranus, who en-
teenth epiitle of the fecond book, to refute tertained a Angular, though generous, cn-

thnfiafm

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 43;

#nd Hluftrious, fince he defcended from the Anician family ; his C H A P.

' > ; ' XXXVI.

dignity-was fupported by an adequate patrimony in land and money ; v.

and thefe advantages of fortune were accompanied with liberal arts,

and decent manners, . which adorn or imitate the inestimable gifts of

genius and virtue. The luxury of his palace and table was hofpita-

Ble and ' elegant. Whenever Maximus appeared in public, he was

furrounded by a train of grateful and obfequious clients 1 ; and it is

poilible that among thefe clients, he might deferve and polfefs fome

real friends. His merit was rewarded by the favour of the prince

and fenate : he thrice, exercifed the office of Praetorian prsefect of

Italy;; he was twice in veiled with the confulfhipj and he obtained

the rank of patrician. Thefe civil honours were not incompatible

with the enjoyment of leifure and tranquillity; his hours, according

to the demands of pleafure or reafon, were accurately diltributed by

a water-clock ; and this avarice of time may be allowed to prove

the fenfe which Maximus entertained of his own happinefs. The

injury which he received from the emperor Valentinian, appears to

excufe the moll bloody revenge. Yet a. philofopher might have

reflected, , that, if the refiftance of his wife had been fincere, her

chaftity was ftill inviolate, and that it could never be reftored if fhe

had confented to the will of the adulterer. A patriot would have'

hefitated, before he plunged himfeif and his country into thofe in--

evitable calamities, which muft follow the extinction ef the ! royal*

houfe of Theodofius. The imprudent Maximus difregarded thefe1

falutary considerations : he gratified his refentment and ambition ; :

he faw the bleeding corpfe of Valentinian at his feet ; and he heard^>

himfeif faluted emperor by the unanimous voice of the fenate and^

thufiafnr for the deceafed emperor. This * Clientum, previa, pedifequa, circumfufa,

epillle, with fome indulgence, may claim the populofitas, is the train which Sidonius him-

praife of an elegant compofition ; and it felf (1. i. epilt. 9.) affigas to another fenator ■

throws much light on' the character of Maxi- of confular rank,

3DUS.

people, •

438 , THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, people. But the day of his inauguration was the laR day of his

2\. A A VL

* -v- happinefs. He was imprifoned (fuch is the lively expreflion of
Sidonius) in the palace and after paffing a fleeplefs night he fighed,
that he had attained the fummit of his wiflies, and afpired only to
defcend from the dangerous elevation. Opprefled by the weight
of the diadem, he communicated his anxious thoughts to his friend
and quceftor Fulgentius ; and when he looked back with unavailing
regret on the fecure pleafures of his former life, the emperor ex-
claimed, " O fortunate Damocles3, thy reign began and ended with
** the fame dinner \ * a well-known allufion, which Fulgentius af-
terwards repeated as an inRrucYive leflbn for princes and fub-
je&s.

a"d The reign of Maximus continued about three months. His hours,

June 1 2. c£ ^yj^ch he hat] ]0fl; thc command, were diRurbed by remorfe,
or guilt, or terror, and his throne was fhaken by the feditions of the
foldiers, the people, and the confederate Barbarians. The marriage
of his fon Palladius with the eldeR daughter of the late emperor,
might tend to eRablifh the hereditary fucceRion of his family ; but
the violence which he offered to the emprefs Eudoxia, could proceed
only from the blind impulfe of luft or revenge. His own wife,
the caufe of thefe tragic events, had been feafonably removed by
death ; and the widow of Valentinian was compelled to violate her
decent mourning, perhaps her real grief, and to fubmit to the em-
braces of a prefumptuous ufurper, whom ihe fufpected as the affaflin
of her deceafed hufband. Thefe fufpicions were foon ju Rifled by
the indifcreet confeflion of Maximus himfelf ; and he wantonly pro-

3 Diftriiftas enfis cui fuper impia Somnum rcducent.

Cervice pendet, non SicuU dapes Horat. Carm. ilii i.

Dulcem elaborabunt faporem : ^idonius conchldes lettervvith the fiory of

M . , Damocles, which Cicero (Tafculan v. 20, •

><on avium Litharaxiue cantus , . , f ■ • ... .

1 21.) hadio inimitably told.

voked

OF THE ftOM AN EMPIRE

439

voted the hatred of his reluctant bride, who was ftill confcious that cvSvvtP*

AAA V X*

fhe defcended from a line of emperors. From the Eaft, however,
Eudoxia could not hope to obtain any effectual afliftance: her father
and her aunt Pulcheria were dead ; her mother languifhed at Jem-
falem in difgrace and exile; and the fceptre of Conftantinople waa
in the hands of a ftranger. She directed her eyes towards Carthage;
fecretly implored the aid of the king of the Vandals ; and perfuaded
Genferic to improve the fair opportunity of difguifing his rapacious
defigns by the fpecious names of- honour,, juftice, and companion*..
Whatever abilities Maximus might have fhewn in a fubordinate
ft'ation, he was found incapable of adminiftering an empire ; and
though he might eafily have been informed of the naval prepara-
tions, which were made on the oppofits Ihores of Africa, he expected
with fupine indifference the approach of the enemy, without adopting
any meafures of defence, of negociation, or of a timely retreat.
"When the Vandals difembarked at the mouth of the Tyber, the
emperor was fuddenly roufed from his lethargy by the clamours of
a trembling and exafperated multitude. The only hope which pre-
fented itfclf to his aftonifhed mind was that of a precipitate night,
and he exhorteif the fenators to imitate the example of their prince-
But no fooner did Maximus appear in the ftreets, than he was af-
faulted by a fhowcr of {tones: a Roman,, or a Burgundian, foldier
claimed the honour of the firft wound; his mangled body was ig-
nominioufly caft into the Tyber; the Roman people rejoiced in the
punilhment which they had hrHi&ed on the author of the public

. *• Notwithllar.ding the evidence of Proco- ** fognare e fpacciar voci hlfe." But his

pius, Evagrius, Idatius, Marcellinus, fee. argument, from the interval of time and

the learned Muratori (Annali d'ltalia, torn, place, is extremely feeble. The figs which?

iv. p. 249.). doubts the reality of this invi- grew near Carthage were produced to the*

tation, and obferves, with great truth, " Non fcnate of Rome on the third day.
** fi pua dir quanto f« facile, il popolo a.

5 calamities j

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Cvv A rP' calamities ; and the domeftics of Eudoxia fignalized fheir zeal in the-

X. X X V 1 •

»— — v ' fervice of their miftrefs s.

SackofRome On the third day after the tumult, Genferic boldly advanced from

by the Van- ; . ' ; - 7

dais the port of Oltia to the gates of the defencelefs city. Inftead of a

June 15— 29. ^7 °f tne Roman youth, there iiTued from the gates an unarmed
and venerable proccflion of the bifhop at the head of his clergy ?«
The fearlefs fpirit of Leo, his authority and eloquence, again miti-
gated the fiercenefs of a Barbarian conqueror : the king' of the Van-
dals promifed to fpare the unrefifting multitude, to protect the
buildings from fire, and to exempt the. captives from torture; and
although fuch orders were neither ferioufly given, nor ftri&ly obeyed,
the mediation of Leo was glorious to himfelf, and in fome degree
beneficial to his country. But Rome, and its inhabitants, were
delivered to the licentioufnefs of the Vandals and Moors, whofe
blind paflions revenged the injuries -of Carthage. The pillage lafted
fourteen days and nights ; and all that yet remained of public or
private wealth, of facred or profane treafure, was diligently trarv-
fported to -the veflels of Genferic. Among the fpoils, the fplendid
relics of two temples, or rather of two religions, exhibited a me-
morable example of the viciffitude of human and divine things.
Since the abolition of Paganifm, the Capitol had been violated and
abandoned ; yet the fbatues of the gods and heroes were ftill re-
fpeded, and the curious roof of gilt bronze was referred for the
rapacious hands of Genferic 7. The holy inftruments of the Jewifh

worfhip,

5 - - - Infidoque tibi Burgundio du£lu ceilan. ; but the improbable notion of Baro-
Extorquet trepidas ma&andi principis iras. nius (A. D. 455. N° 13.)* that, Genferic

Sidon. in Panegyr. Avit. 442. fpared the three apoftolical churches, is not
A remarkable line, which infinuates that countenanced even by the doubtful tellimony
Rome and Maximus were betrayed by their of the Liber Pontijtcalh.
Burgundian mercenaries. 7 The profufion of Catulus, the firft who

6 The apparent fuccefs of pope Leo may' gilt the roof of the Capitol, was not univer-'
be juftified by Profper, and the Hijioria Mif- fally approved (Plin. Hift. Natur. xxxiii. 18.) ;

but

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

worfhip8, the gold table, and the gold candleftick with feven branches,
originally framed according to the particular inflructions of God
himfelf, and which were placed in the fanctuary of his temple, had
been oftentatioufly difplayed to the Roman people in the triumph of
Titus. They were afterwards depofited in the temple of Peace;
and at the end of four hundred years, the fpoils of Jerufalem were
transferred from Rome to Carthage, by a Barbarian who derived his
origin from the mores of the Baltic. Thefe ancient monuments
might attract the notice of curiofity, as well as of avarice. But the
Chriftian churches, enriched and adorned by the prevailing fuper-
itition of the times, afforded more plentiful materials for facri-
lege j and the pious liberality of pope Leo, who melted fix filver
vafes, the gift of- Conftantine, each of an hundred pounds weight,
is an evidence of the damage which he attempted to repair. In the
forty-five years, that had elapfed fmce the Gothic invafion, the pomp
and luxury of Rome were in fome meafure reftored ; and it was
difficult either to efcape, or to fatisfy, the avarice of a conqueror, who
pofTefled leifure to colled:, and fhips to tranfport, the wealth of the
-capital. The Imperial ornaments of the palace, the magnificent
furniture and wardrobe, the iideboards of mafTy plate, were accu-
mulated with diforderly rapine : the gold and filver amounted to
feveral thoufand talents ; yet even the brafs and copper were labo-
rioufly removed. Eudoxia herfelf, who advanced to meet her friend
and deliverer, foon bewailed the imprudence of her own conduct.

but It was far exceeded by the emperor's, and 125.). It fhould Teem, that the roof of the

the externa] gilding of the temple colt Do- Capitol was decorated with gilt ftatues, and

mitian 12,000 talents (2,400,000 1.). The chariots drawn by four horfes.

expreffions of Claudian and Rutilius (kce me- 8 The curious reader may confult the

talli amula . . . fafligia aftris, and confur.- learned and accurate treatife of Hadrian Re-

duntque <vagos delubra micantia vifusj mani- land, de Spoliis Templi Hierofolymitani in

feftly prove, that this fplendid covering was not Arcu Titiano Roma; confpicuis, in i3mo<

removed either by the ChrilHans or the Goths Trajefti ad Rhenum, 1 ji6.
(See Donatus, Roma Antigua, I. ii. c. 6. p.

Vol. IIL 3 L She

442

THE DECLINE AND FALL

® H A*P. She was rudely {tripped of her jewels ; and the unfortunate emprefs,
v— v— — ^ with her two daughters, the only furviving remains of the great
Theodofius, was compelled, as a captive, to follow the haughty Van-
dal ; who immediately hoifted fail, and returned with a profperous
navigation to the port of Carthage 9. Many thoufand Romans of
both fexes, chofen for fome ufeful or agreeable qualifications, reluc-
tantly embarked on board the fleet of Genferic; and their diftrefs
was aggravated by the unfeeling Barbarians, who, in the divifion of
the booty, feparated the wives from their hufbands, and the children
from their parents. The charity of Deogratias, bifihop of Carthage ,0,
was their only confchttion and fupport. He generoufly fold the
gold and filver plate of the church to purchale the freedom of fome,
to alleviate the flavery of others, and to aflift the wants and infir-
mities of a captive multitude, whofe health was impaired by the
hardfhips which they had fuffered in the paffage from Italy to
/ Africa. By his order, two fpacious churches were converted into
bofpitals : the fick were diflributed in convenient beds, and liberally
fupplied with food and medicines; and the aged prelate repeated
his vifits both in the day and night, with an affiduity that furpaiTed
his ftrength, and a tender fympathy which enhanced the value of
his fervices. Compare this fcene with the field of Cannse ; and
judge between Hannibal and the fuccelTor of St. Cyprian ".

9 The vefTel which tranfported the relics piecemeal by the mad devotion of the peo-
of the Capitol, was the only one of the whole p!e.

fleet that fuffered ihipwreck. If a bigotted 11 The general evidence for the death of
fophift, a Pagan bigot, had mentioned the Maximus, and the fack of Rome by the Van-
accident, he might have rejoiced, that this dais, is comprifed in Sidonius (Panegyr.
cargo of facrilege was loft in the fea. Avit. 441 — 450.), Procopius (de Bell. Van-

10 See Victor Vitenfis, de Perfecut. Van- dal. 1. i. c. 4, 5. p. 1S8, 189. and 1. ii. c. c.
dal. 1. i. c. 8. p. 11, 12. edit. Ruinart. Deo- p. 255.), Evagiius (i. ii. c. 7.), Jcrnandes
gratias governed the church of Carthage only (de Reb. Getic.is, c. 45. p. 677.), and the
three years. If he had not been privately Chronicles of Idatius, Profper, Marcellinus,

• buried, his corpfe would have been torn and Theophanes, under the proper year.

The

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

443

The deaths of iEtius and Valentinian had relaxed the ties which cVvyvi?"

AAA VI.

held the Barbarians of Gaul in peace and fubordination. The fea- — /- — j

. The emperor

coaft was infefted by the Saxons ; the Alcmanni and the Franks ad- Avitus,
vanced from the Rhine to the Seine ; and the ambition of the Goths juiy joih!
feemed to meditate more extenfive and permanent conquefts. The
emperor Maximus relieved himfelf, by a judicious choice, from
the weight of thefe diftant cares ; he filenced the folicitations of his
friends, liftened to the voice of fame, and promoted a ftranger to
the general command of the forces in Gaul. Avitus the ftranger,
whofe merit was fo nobly rewarded, defcended from a wealthy
and honourable family in the diocefe of Auvergne. The convul-
fions of the times urged him to embrace, with the fame ardour, the
civil and military profeffions ; and the indefatigable youth blended
the ftudies of literature and jurifprudence with the exercife of arms
and hunting. Thirty years of his life were laudably fpent in the
public fervice ; he alternately difplayed his talents in war and nego-
ciation ; and the foldier of iEtius, after executing the moft import-
ant embafiies, was raifed to the ftation of Praetorian prsefect of
Gaul. Either the merit of Avitus excited envy, or his moderation
was defirous of repofe, fince he calmly retired to an eftate, which he
pofTefled in the neighbourhood of Clermont. A copious ftream,
iffuing from the mountain, and falling headlong in many a loud
and foaming cafcade, difcharged its waters into a lake about two
miles in length, and the villa was pleafantly feated on the margin
of the lake, The baths, the porticoes, the fummer and winter
apartments, were adapted to the purpofes of luxury and ufe ; and
the adjacent country afforded the various profpects of woods, paf-

11 The private life and elevation of Avi- donius Apollinaris, his fubjetft, and his foa-
tus muft be deduced, with becoming fufpi- in-law.
don, from the panegyric pronounced by Si-

3 L 2 tures,

444

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, tures, and meadows In. this retreat, where Avitus amufed his

xxxvi. • '

v- — *~ — fc leifure with books, rural fports, the pra&ice of hufbandry, and the
fociety of his friends ,+, he received the Imperial diploma, which
conftituted him mafter-general of the cavalry and infantry of GauL
He aflumed the military command j the Barbarians fufpended their
fury ; and whatever means he might employ, whatever conceflions
he might be forced to make, the people enjoyed the benefits of
actual tranquillity.. But the fate of Gaul depended on the Vifigoths ;
and the Roman general, lefs attentive to- his dignity than to the
public intereft, did not difdain to vifit Thouloufe in the character of
an ambaffadcr. He was received with courteous hofpitality by
Theodoric, the king of the Goths ; but while Avitus laid the founda-
• tions of a folid alliance with that powerful nation, he was aftonilhed
by the intelligence, that the emperor Maximus was flain, and that
Rome had been pillaged by the Vandals. A vacant throne, which
he might afcend without guilt or danger, tempted his ambition 15 £
and the Vifigoths were eafily perfuaded to fupport his claim by their
irrefiftible fuffrage. They loved the perfcn of Avitus ; they refpected I

A. D. 455. ^ virtues; and they were not infenfibla of the advantage, as well

Auguft 15.

as honour, of giving an emperor to the Weft. The feafon was now.
approaching, in which the annual affembly of the feven provinces

13 After the example of the yoanger Pliny, thors, profane and religious ; the former for

Sidonius (1. ii. c. 2.) has laboured the florid, the men, the latter for the ladies. The table

prolix, and obfcure defcription of his villa, was twice ferved, at dinner and fupper, with,

which bore the name (Jvitacxm), and had hot meat (boiled and roaft) and wine. During

b^en the property of Avitus. The precife the intermediate time, the company flept,

fituation is not afcertained. Confult however took the air on horfeback, and ufed the warm

the notes of Savaron and Sirmond. bath.

'* Sidonius (1. ii. epift. 9.) hasdefcribed ,s Seventy lines of panegyric (505—575.),.

the country life of the Gallic nobles, in a which defcribe the importunity of Theodoric

vifit which he made to his friends, whofe and of Gaul, flruggling to overcome the

eftates were in the neighbourhood of Nifmes. modeft reluctance of Avitus, are blown away

The morning -hours were fpent in the by three words of an honeft hiftorian. Ro-

Jpharifterium, or tennis-court ; or in the li- manum a7nbijfet Imperium (Greg. Turon. -

brary, which was furnifted with Latin au- 1. ii. c. 11. in torn. ii. p. 168.).

was

OF THE ROMAN EMPTRE.

44S

was held at Aries; their deliberations might perhaps be influenced 9** A P.

AAA VI*

by the prefence of Theodoric, and his martial brothers ; but their < '

choice would naturally incline to the moft illuftrious of their country ~
men. Avitus, after a decent refiftance, accepted the Imperial diadem
from the reprefentatives of Gaul ; and his election was ratified by
the acclamations of the Barbarians and provincials. The formaf
confent of Marcian, emperor of the Eaft, was folicited and obtained :
but the fenate, Rome, and Italy,- though humbled by their recent
calamities, fubmitted with a fecret murmur to the prefumption of the
Gallic ufurper.

Theodoric, to whom Avitus was indebted for the purple, had Charafler of
acquired the Gothic fceptre by the murder of his elder brother king°ofthe
Torifmond; and he juftified this atrocious deed by the defign which
his predeceflbr had formed of violating his alliance with the empire ,6. 466,
Such a crime might not be incompatible with the virtues of a Bar-
barian ; but the manners of Theodoric were gentle and humane ;
and pofterity may contemplate without terror the original picture of
3. Gothic king, whom Sidonius had intimately obferved, in the hours
of peace and of focial intercourfe. In an epiftle, dated from the
court of Thouloufe, the orator fatisfies the curiofity of one of his
friends, in the following defcription 17 : " By the majefty of his
" appearance, Theodoric would command the refpect of thofe who
* are ignorant of his merit ; and although he is born a prince,
" his merit would dignify a private ftation. He is of a middle
" ftature, his body appears rather plump than fat, and in his wehV

,e Ifidore, archblfhop of Seville, , who was
himfelf of the blood royal of the Goths, ac-
knowledges, and almoft justifies (Hift. Goth,
p. 7 1 8.) the crime which their flave Jornandes
had bafely diflembled (c. 43. p. 673. ).

17 This elaborate defcription (1. i. ep. ii.
p. 2—7.) was di&ated by fome political mo •

tive. It was defigned for the public eye, and
had been ftiewn by the friends of Sidoniu?,.
before it was inferted in the collection of his
epiftles. Thefirft book was- publiihed fepa-
rately.. See Tillemont, Memoires Ecclef
torn. xvi. p. 264.

" proportioned

446 THE DECLINE AND FALX

CHAP. " proportioned limbs agility is united with mufcular ftrength ".

" If you examine his countenance, you will diftinguiih a high
** forehead, large fhaggy eyebrows, an aquiline nofe, thin lips, a
" regular fet of white teeth, and a fair complexion, that blufhes
■" more frequently from modefty than from anger. The ordinary
" diftribution of his time, as far as it is expofed to the public view,
" may be concifely reprefented. Before day-break, he repairs, with
li a fmall train, to his domeftic chapel, where the fervice is per-
" formed by the Arum clergy ; but thofe who prefume to interpret
" his fecret fentiments, confider this affiduous devotion as the effect
" of habit and policy. The reft of the morning is employed in the
M adminiftration of his kingdom. His chair is furrounded by fome
M military officers of decent afpect and behaviour : the noify crowd
" of his Barbarian guards occupies the hall of audience ; but they
M are not permitted to ftand within the veils or curtains, that con-
" ceal the council-chamber from vulgar eyes. The ambaffadcrs of
M the nations are fucceffively introduced ; Theodoric liftens with
M attention, anfwers them with difcreet brevity, and either an-
u nounces or delays, according to the nature of their bufinefs, his
" final refolution. About eight (the fecond hour) he rifes from his
K throne, and vifits, either his treafury, or his ftables. If he chufes
" to hunt, or at leaft to exercife himfelf on horfeback, his bow is
" carried by a favourite youth ; but when the game is marked, he
" bends it with his own hand, and feldom miffes the objecl; of his
*' aim; as a king, he difdains to bear arms in fuch. ignoble war-
" fare ; but as a foldier, he would blulh to accept any military fervice
which he could perform himfelf. On common days, his dinner

»* I have fupprefl'ed, in this portrait of who, like the contemporaries of Sidoniu.*, had

Theodore, feveral roinuto circumfcances, frequented the markets where naked flavej

and technical phrafes, which couid be tole. were expofed to fale (Dubo.% Hill. Critique,

rable, or indeed intelligible, to thofe only torn. i. p. 494.).

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

447

<c is not different from the repaft of a private citizen; but every

AAA \ 1 •

" Saturday many honourable guefts are invited to the royal table, ' * '

" which, on thefe occafions, is ferved with the elegance of Greece,
*c the plenty of Gaul, and the order and diligence of Italy '9. The
t4- gold or filver plate is lefs remarkable for its weight, than for the
** brightnefs and curious workmanfhip : the taftc is gratified without -
il the help of foreign and coftly luxury ; the fize and number of the
" cups of wine are regulated with a ftricl regard to the laws of
" temperance ; and the refpecliul filence that prevails, is interrupted
" only by grave and inftructive converfation. After dinner, Theo-
" doric fometimes indulges himfelf in a fhort {lumber; and as foon ■
** as he wakes, he calls for the dice and tables, encourages his friends
" to forget the royal majefty, and is delighted when they freely ex-
" prefs the paffions, which are excited by the incidents of play*
" At this game, which he loves as the image of war, he alternately
" difplays his eagernefs, his fkill, his patience, and his cheerful
"' temper. If he lofes, he laughs ; he is modeft and filent if he
" wins. Yet, notwithstanding this feeming indifference, his courtiers
" chufe to folicit any favour in the moments of victory ; and I my-
" felf, in my applications to the king, have derived fome benefit
"' from my Ioffes10. About the ninth hour (three o'clock) the tide
" of bufmefs again returns, and flows inceffantly till after fun-fet,
u when the fignal of the royal flipper difmiffes the weary crowd of
u fuppliants and pleaders. At the fupper, a more familiar repaft, •.
" buffoons and pantomimes are fometimes introduced, to divert, not
" to offend, the company, by their ridiculous wit : but female finger?,
and the foft effeminate • modes of mufic, are feverely banifhed*

, 19 Videas ibi elegantiam Grscam, abun- feliciter vincor, et mihi tabula pent ut cnu^i
dantiam Gallicanam ; celeritatem Iialam ; falvetur. SiJonius of Auvergne was noc a
publicam pompam, privatam diJigcntiam, fubjedt of Theodoric j but he might be com-
regiam difciplinam. pelled to folicit eirherjaftic€ or-iavour -at the

*° Tunc ctiam ego aliquid obfecrattirus court of Thouioufc.

" and

44*

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XXXVL

His expedi-
tion into
Spain,
A.D. 456.

" and fuch martial tunes as animate the foul to deeds of valour are
" alone grateful to the -ear of Theodoric. He retires from table ;
" and the nocturnal guards are immediately ported at the entrance
" of the treafury, the palace, and the private apartments."

When the king of the Vifigoths encouraged Avitus to alfume the
purple, he offered his perfon and his forces, as a faithful foldier of
the republic11. The exploits of Theodoric foon convinced the world,
that he had not degenerated from the warlike virtues of his an-
ceftors. After the eftablifhment of the Goths in Aquitain, and the
paiTage of the Vandals into Africa, the Suevi, who had fixed their
jkingdom in Gallicia, afpired to the conqueft of Spain, and threatened
to extinguish the feeble remains of the Roman dominion. The
provincials of Carthagena and Tarragona, afflicted by an hoftile in-
vafion, reprefented their injuries and their apprehenfions. Count
Fronto was difpatched, in the name of the emperor Avitus, with ad-
vantageous offers of peace and alliance ; and Theodoric interpofed his
weighty mediation, to declare, that, unlefs his brother-in-law, the
king of the Suevi, immediately retired, he mould be obliged to
arm in the caufe of juftice and of Rome. " Tell him," replied the
haughty Rechiarius,, " that I defpife his friendship and his arms ;
but that I mall foon try, whether he will dare to expect my arrival
under the walls of Thouloufe." Such a challenge urged Theodoric
lo prevent the bold defigns of his enemy : he paffed the Pyrenees at
the head of the Vifigoths : the Franks and Burgundians ferved
under his ftandard ; and though he profefTed himfelf the dutiful
jfervant of Avitus, he privately ftipulated, for himfelf and his fuc-
ceffors, the abfolute pofTeflion of his Spanifh conquefts. The two
armies, or rather the two nations, encountered each other on the

11 Theodoric himfelf had given a folemn
and voluntary promife of fidelity, which was
understood both in Gaul and Spain.

■ Romae fum, te duce, Amicus,

Principe te, Miles.

Sidon. Panegyr. Avit. 511.

bank*

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

449

banks of the river Urbicus, about twelve miles from Aftorga ; and CXxxvi
the decifive victory of the Goths appeared for a while to have extir- *>- »- '
pated the name and kingdom of the Suevi. From the field of battle
Theodoric advanced to Braga, their metropolis, which ftill retained
the fplendid veftiges of its ancient commerce and dignity". His
entrance was not polluted with blood, and the Goths refpected the
chaftity of their female captives, more efpecially of the confecrated
virgins: but the greateft part of the clergy and people were made
flaves, and even the churches and altars were confounded in the
univerfal pillage. The unfortunate king of the Suevi had efcaped to
one of the ports of the ocean; but the obftinacy of the winds op-
pofed his flight ; he was delivered to his implacable rival ; and Re-
chiarius, who neither defired nor expected mercy, received, with
manly conftancy, the death which he would probably have inflicted.
After this bloody facrifice to policy or refentment, Theodoric carried
his victorious arms as far as Merida, the principal town of Lufitania,
without meeting any refiftance, except from the miraculous powers
of St. Eulalia ; but he was flopped in the full career of fuccefs, and
recalled from Spain, before he could provide for the fecurity of his
conquefts. In his retreat towards the Pyrenees, he revenged his
difappointment on the country through which he palled, and in the
fack of Pollentia and Aftorga, he fhewed himfelf a faithlefs ally, as
well as a cruel enemy. Whilft the king of the Vifigoths fought
' and vanquifhed in the name of Avitus, the reign of Avitus had
expired ; and both the honour and the intereft of Theodoric were

** Quaeque finu pelagi ja&at fe Bracara
dives.

Aufon. de Claris Urbibus, p. 245.
From the defign of the king of the Suevi, it
is evident that the navigation from the ports

of Gallicia to the Mediterranean was known
and pradtifed. The mips of Bracara, or Bra-
ga, cautioufly fleered along the coaft, without
daring to lofe themfelves in the Atlantic.

Vol. III.

deeply

THE DECLINE AND FALL

deeplv wounded by the difgrace of a friend, whom he had feated on
the throne of the Weftern empire *3.

The preffing folicitations of the fenate and people, perfuaded the
emperor Avitus to fix his refidence at Rome, and to accept the con-
fulfhip for the enfuing year. On the firft day of January, his fon-
in-law, Sidonius Apollinaris, celebrated his praifes in a panegyric of
fix hundred verfes ; but this compofition, though it was rewarded
with a brafs ftatue , feems to contain a very moderate proportion,
either of genius or of truth. The poet, if we may degrade that
facred name, exaggerates the merit of a fovereign and a father ; and
his prophecy of a long and glorious reign was foon contradicted by
the event. Avitus, at a time when the Imperial dignity was reduced
to a pre-eminence of toil and danger, indulged himfelf in the plea-
fures of Italian luxury : age had not extinguifhed his amorous in-
clinations ; and he is accufed of infulting, with indifcreet and un-
generous raillery, the hufbands whofe wives he had feduced or vio-
lated **. But the Romans were not inclined, either to excufe his
faults, or to acknowledge his virtues. The feveral parts of the
empire became every day more alienated from each other ; and the
ftranger of Gaul was the object of popular hatred and contempt.
The fenate aflerted their legitimate claim in the election of an
emperor ; and their authority,, which had been originally derived
from the old conftitution, was again fortified by the actual weaknefs
of a declining monarchy. Yet even fuch a monarchy might have

13 This Suevic war is the moll authentic Apoll. 1. ix. epLft. 16. p. 284. Carm. viii.
part of the Chronicle of Idatius, who, as bi- p. 350.

ihop of Iria Flavia, was himfelf a fpe&ator 15 Luxuriofe agere volens a fenatoribos

and a fufferer. Jornar.des (c. 44. p. 675, projeclus eft, is the concife expreflion of Gre-

676, 677.) has expatiated, with pleafure, on gory of Tours (1. ii. c. xi. in torn. ii. p. 168.).

the Gothic victory. An old Chronicle (in torn. ii. p. 649.) men-

14 In one cf the porticoes or galleries be- tions an indecent jeft of Avitus, which feeais
longing to Trajan's library ; among the fta- more applicable to Rome than to Treves,
tues of famous writers and orators. Sidon.

refitted

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

refitted the votes of an unarmed fenate, if their difcontent had not cv**Ar ?1

X X X V I •

been fupported, or perhaps inflamed, by Count Ricimer, one of the k, „ >

principal commanders of the Barbarian troops, who formed the mi-
litary defence of Italy. The daughter of Wallia, king of the Vifi-
goths, was the mother of Ricimer ; but he was defcended, on the
father's fide, from the nation of the Suevi 15 : his pride, or patriot-
iim, might be exafperated by the misfortunes of his countrymen ;
and he obeyed, with reluctance, an emperor, in whofe elevation he
had not been confulted. His faithful and important fervices againft
the common enemy, rendered him flill more formidable 17 ; and,
after deftroying, on the coaft of Corfica, a fleet of Vandals, which
confifted of fixty gallies, Ricimer returned in triumph with the
appellation of the Deliverer of Italy. He chofe that moment
to fignify to Avitus, that his reign was at an end ; and the
feeble emperor, at a diftance from his Gothic allies, was com-
pelled, after a fhort and unavailing ftruggle, to abdicate the
purple. By the clemency, however, or the contempt, of Ri-
cimer 1S, he was permitted to defcend from the throne, to the
more defirable ftation of bifhop of Placentia : but the refentment of
the fenate was ftill unfatisfied ; and their inflexible feverity pro-
nounced the fentence of his death. He fled towards the Alps, with
the humble hope, not of arming the Vifigoths in his caufe, but of
fecuring his perfon and treafures in the fanctuary of Julian, one of
the tutelar faints of Auvergne 19. Difeafe, or the hand of the execu-
tioner,

16 Sidonius (Panegyr. Anthem. 302, &c.) 18 Parcens innocentiaj Aviti, is the com-
praifes the royal birth of Ricimer, the lawful paflionate, but contemptuous, language of
heir, as he chufes to infinuate, both of the Victor Tunnunenfis (in Chron. apud Scaliger
Gothic and Suevic kingdoms. Eufeb.). In another place, he calls him,

*7 See the Chronicle of Idatius. Jorriandes vir totius fimplicitatis. This commendation
(c. 44. p. 676.) ftyles him, with fome truth, is more humble, but it is more folid and fin-
virum egregium, etpene tunc in Italia ad ex- cere, than the praifes of Sidonius.
ercitum Angularem. *» He fufFered, as it is fuppofed, in the

3 M 2 perfecution

452

CHAP.

XXXVI.
v. —

Character
and elevation
of Majorian,
A. D. 457.

THE DECLINE AND FALL

doner, arrefted him on the road ; yet his remains were decently
^ tranfported to Brivas, or Brioude, in his native province, and he
repofed at the feet of his holy patron 3°. Avitus left only one
daughter, the wife of Sidonius Apollinaris, who inherited the patri-
mony of his father-in-law ; lamenting, at the fame time, the dis-
appointment of his public and private expectations. His refentment
prompted him to join, or at leaft to countenance, the meafures of a
rebellious faction in Gaul ; and the poet had contracted fome guilt,
which it was incumbent on him to expiate, by a new tribute of flat-
tery to the fucceding emperor ?I.

The fuccefibr of Avitus prefents the welcome difcovery of a great
and heroic character, fuch as fometimes arife in a degenerate age, to
vindicate the honour of the human fpecies. The emperor Majorian
has deferred the praifes of his contemporaries, and of pofterity ; and
thefe praifes may be ftrongly exprefled in the words of a judicious
and difinterefted hiftorian : " That he was gentle to his fubjects;
" that he was terrible to his enemies ; and that he excelled in every
a virtue, #// his predeceflbrswho had reigned over the Romans 32." Such
a teftimony may juftify at leaft the panegyric of Sidonius ; and we may
acquiefce in the aflurance, that, although the obfequious orator would

perfecution of Diocletian (Tillemont, Mem.
Ecclef. torn. v. p. 279. 696.). Gregory of
Tours, his- peculiar votary, has dedicated,
to the glory of Julian the Martyr, an
entire book (de Gloria Martynim, 1. ii. in
Max. Bibliot. Patrum, torn, xi. p. 861 - 871.),
in which he relates about fifty foolifh miracles
performed by his relics.

30 Gregory of Tours (1. ii. c. *5. p. 168.)
is concife, but correct, in the reign of his
countryman. The words of Idatius, " caret
impeiio, caret et vita," feem to imply, that
the death of Avitus was violent ; but it muft
have been fecret, lince Ev.igrius (1. ii. c. 7.)
could fuppofe, that he died of the plague.

31 After a mode/1 appeal to the examples
cf his brethren, Virgil and Horace, Sido-

nius honefcly confefTes the deht, and pro-
mifes payment.

Sic mihi diverfo nuper fub Marte cadenti

Jufiifti placido Viflor ut e/Tem animo.
Serviat ergo tibi fervati lingua poetaj,
Atque mex vita: laus tua lit pretium.

Sidon. Apoll. carm. iv. p. 308.
See Dubos, Hill. Critique, torn. i. p. 4.48, &c.

31 The words of Procopius deferve to be
tranferibed ; tno: yap o Mxtsji-.o; i-Vjs.7ra.iTxs thj
7rfc5TiT£ Pufiatut 0.3occn\iv>iOTa.; wsgceufm apirri
mj; and afterwards, cuzf ra. (Lit «; T^'usrv-
m.c«; iAtTcio$ yeyovue, y -.^ipo- J£ tcc c$ rsq IroXefMtue
(de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. c. 7. p. 194.) ; a con-
cife but comprehenfive definition of royal
virtue.

have

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

453

have flattered, with equal zeal, the moft worthlefs of princes, the C ^ ^ P'

A AA V 1.

extraordinary merit of his object confined him, on this occafion, with- * » '
in the bounds of truth ". Majorian derived his name from his ma-
ternal grandfather, who, in the reign of the great Theodofius, had
commanded the troops of the Illyrian frontier. He gave his daughter
in marriage to the father of Majorian, a refpectable officer, who
adminiftered the revenues of Gaul with ikill and integrity ; and ge-
neroufly preferred the friendfhip of iEtius, to the tempting offers of
an infidious court. His fon, the future emperor, who was educated
in the profeffion of arms, difplayed, from his early youth, intrepid
courage, premature wifdom, and unbounded liberality in a fcanty
fortune. He followed the ftandard of iEtius, contributed to his
fuccefs, mared, and fometimes eclipfed, his glory, and at laft excited
the jealoufy of the patrician, or rather of his wife, who forced him to
retire from the fervice 3\ Majorian, after the death of iEtius, was
recalled, and promoted ; and his intimate connection with count Ri-
cimer, was the immediate ftep by which he afcended the throne of the
Weftern empire. During the vacancy that fucceeded the abdication
of Avitus, the ambitious Barbarian, whofe birth excluded him from
the Imperial dignity, governed Italy, with the title of Patrician ; re-
figned, to his friend, the confpicuous ftation of mafter-general of
the cavalry and infantry ; and, after an interval of fome months,
•confented to the unanimous wiih of the Romans, whofe favour Ma-

33 The Panegyric was pronounced at Lyons 3* She prefl'ed his immediate death, and

before the end of the year 458, while the was fcarcely fatisfied with his difgrace. It

emperor was ftill conful It has more rrt moulj feem> Mtin,, like Bdifarius and

than genius, and more labcur than art. The *» , . ,

' c,r • • t .1 a- Marlborough, was governed by his wife:

ornaments are falfe or trivial ; the expreluon . 're

is feeble and prolix: and Sidonius wants the whofc fervent Piet>'' though ic miShc ™*

Ikill to exhibit the principal figure in a ftrong miracles (Gregor. Turon. k ii. c. 7. p. 162.)

and diftinft light. The private life of Ma- was not incompatible with bafe and fan-

jorian occupies about two hundred lines, guinary counfels.
107—305.

jorian

454

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CXXXVI** Jor*an nac^ ^°^citet^ by a recent victory over the Alemanni ss. He
v ~j was inverted with the purple at Ravenna ; and the epiftle which he
addrefied to the fenate, will beft defcribe his fituation and his fenti-
ments, " Your election, Confcript Fathers ! and the ordinance of
" the moft valiant army, have made me your emperor 35. May
" the propitious Deity direct and profper the counfels and events of
u my administration, to your advantage, and to the public welfare.
" For my own part, I did not afpire, I have fubmitted, to reign ;
<c nor mould I have difcharged the obligations of a citizen, if I had
" refufed, with bafe and felfifh ingratitude, to fupport the weight of
" thofe labours, which were impofed by the republic. Aflift, there-
fore, the prince whom you have made ; partake the duties which
you have enjoined ; and may our common endeavours promote
the happinefs of an empire, which I have accepted from your
" hands. Be aflured, that, in our times, juftice mail refume her
" ancient vigour, and that virtue mall become not only innocent,
" but meritorious. Let none, except the authors themfelyes, be ap-
" prehenfive of delations ~'\ which, as a fubject, I have always con-
" demned, and, as a prince, will feverely punifh. Our own vigilance,
" and that of our father, the patrician Ricimer, mall regulate all military
" affairs, and provide for the fafety of the Roman world, which we

35 The Alemanni had parted the Rhaetian odof.). Sidonius proclaims the unanimous
Alps, and were defeated in the Campi Canini, voice of the empire.

or Valley of Bellinzone, through which the Poftquam ordine vobis

Tefin flows, in its defcentfrom mount Adula, Ordo omnis regnum dederat ; plebs, curia,
to the Lago Maggiore (Cluver. Italia Antiq. miles,

torn. i. p. 100, 101.). This boalted victory Et collega fimul. • 386.

over nine hundred Barbarians (Panegyr. Ma- This language is ancientandconftitutional;

jorian, 373, &c.) betrays the extreme weak- and we may obferve, that the clergy were not

nefs of Italy. yet confidered as a diftinct order of the ftate.

36 Imperatorem me factum, P. C. elec- 37 Either d/latioues, or d^lationes, would
tionis veftra: arbitrio, et fortiflimi exerci- afford a tolerable reading ; but there is much
tus ordinatione agnofcite (Novell. Majo- more fenfe and fpirit in the latter, to which
rian. tit. iii. p. 34. ad Calcem Cod. The- I have therefore given the preference.

-2 " have

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

455

" have faved from foreign and domeftic enemies 3\ You now un- cYYrYil,p*

" derftand the maxims of my government : you may confide in the v— — j

" faithful love and fincere aiTurances of a prince, who has formerly

M been the companion of your life and dangers ; who ftill glories in

" the name of fenator, and who is anxious, that you mould never

" repent of the judgment which you have pronounced in his favour."

The emperor, who, amidft the ruins of the Roman world, revived

the ancient language of law and liberty, which Trajan would not

have difclaimed, mud have derived thofe generous fentiments from his

own heart ; fince they were not fuggefted to his imitation by the

cuftoms of his age, or the example of his predeceflbrs 39.

The private and public actions of Majorian are very imperfectly His falutary

laws,

known : but his laws, remarkable for an original caft of thought A. D. 457—
and expreffton, faithfully reprefent the character of a fovereign, who 4 l'
loved his people, who fympathized in their diftrefs, who had ftudicd
the caufes of the decline of the empire, and who was capable of ap-
plying, (as far as fuch reformation was practicable) judicious and ef-
fectual remedies to the public diforders *°. His regulations con-
cerning the finances manifeftly tended to remove, or at lean: to mi-
tigate, the moft intolerable grievances. I. From the firft hour of his
reign, he was folicitous (I tranflate his own words) to relieve the
weary fortunes of the provincials, oppreffed by the accumulated
weight of indictions and fuperindictions *.\ With this view, he

granted

38 Ab externo hofte et a domeflica clade Yet the exprefllon, regnum ncftrum, bears fome
liberavimus: by the latter, Majorian mull taint of the age, and docs not mix kindly
underftand the tyranny of A virus; whofe with the word refpuhlica, which he frequent-
death he confequently avowed as a meritori- ly repeats.

ous aft. On this occafion, Sidonius is fear- 40 See the laws of Majorian (they are
ful and obfeure ; he defcribes the twelve only l ine in number, but very long and va-
Cajfars, the nations of Africa, &c. that he rious), at the end of the Theodofian Code,
may efcape the dangerous name of Avitus Novell. 1. iv. p. 32 — 37. Godefroy has not
(305 — 369.). given any commentary on thefe additional

39 See the whole edift or epiftle of Majo- pieces.

riaD to the fenate (Novell, tit. iv. p. 34..). 4' Feffas provincialium varia atque multi-

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, granted an univerfal amnefty, a final and abfolute difcharge of all

XXXVI. _ t

v, _> arrears of tribute, of all debts, which, under any pretence, the fifcal
officers might demand from the people. This wife dereliction of
obfolete, vexatious, and unprofitable claims, improved and purified
the fources of the public revenue ; and the fubject, who could now
look back without defpair, might labour with hope and gratitude
for himfelf and for his country. II. In the affeffment and collection
of taxes Majorian reftored the ordinary jurifdiction of the provincial
magiflrates ; and fupprefled the extraordinary commhTions which had
been introduced, in the name of the emperor himfelf, or of the Prae-
torian prsefects. The favourite fervants, who obtained fuch irregular
powers, were infolent in their behaviour, and arbitrary in their de-
mands : they affected to dcfpife the fubordinate tribunals, and they
were difcontented, if their fees and profits did not twice exceed the
fum, which they condefcended to pay into the treafury. One in-
ftance of their extortion would appear incredible, were it not authen-
ticated by the legiflator himfelf. They exacted the whole payment
in gold : but they refufed the current coin of the empire, and would
accept only fuch ancient pieces as were ftamped with the names of
Fauftina or the Antonines. The fubject, who was unprovided
with thefe curious medals, had recourfe to the expedient of com-
pounding with their rapacious demands ; or, if he fucceeded in the
refearch, his impofition was doubled, according to the weight and
value of the money of former times **. III. " The municipal cor-
t{ porations (fays the emperor), the leifer fenates (fo antiquity has
*.* juftly ftyled them), deferve to be confidered as the heart of the

plici tributorum exa&ione fortunas, et extra- dred and eighteen, and tliofe of the fifth

ordinariis fifcalium folutionum oneribus at- century only fixty-eight, Englifh -grains,

tritas, &c. Novell. Majorian, tit. iv. p. 34. Majorian gives currency to all gold coin,

41 The learned Greases (vol. i. p. 329, excepting only the Gallic folidus, from its de- ,

330,331.) has found, by a diligent inquiry, ficiency, not in the weight, but in the flan-

that aurei of the Antonines weighed one hun- dard.

2 , *'cities,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 457

" cities, and the finews of the republic. And yet fo low are thev C |JYJ p-

" now reduced, by the injuftice of magiflrates, and the venality of ' *

" collectors, that many of their members, renouncing their dignity
" and their country, have taken refuge in diftant and obfeure exile."
He urges, and even compels, their return to their refpective ciries ;
but he removes the grievance which had forced them to defert the
exercife of their municipal functions. They are directed, under the
authority of the provincial magiflrates, to refume their office of le-
vying the tribute ; but, inftead of being made refponlible for the
whole fum aflefled on their diftrict, they are only required to pro-
duce a regular account of the payments which they have actuallv
received, and of the defaulters who are ftill indebted to the public.
IV. But Majorian was not ignorant, that thefe corporate bodies were
too much inclined to retaliate the injuftice and oppreffion which they
had mffered ; and he therefore revives the ufeful office of the de-
fenders of cities. He exhorts the people to elect, in a full and free af-
fembly, fome man of difcretion and integrity, who would dare to
aflert their privileges, to reprefent their grievances, to protect the
poor from the tyranny of the rich, and to inform the emperor of the
abufes that were committed under the fanction of his name and autho-
rity.

The fpectator, who cafts a mournful view over the ruins of ancient The edifices
Rome, is tempted to accufe the memory of the Goths and Vandals,
for the mifchief which they had neither leifure, nor power, nor
perhaps inclination, to perpetrate. - The tempeft of war might ftrike
fome lofty turrets to the ground ; but the deftruction which un-
dermined the foundations of thofe mafly fabrics, was profecuted, flowly
and filently, during a period of ten centuries ; and the motives of
intereft, that afterwards operated without fhame or controul, were
leverely checked by the tafte and fpirit of the emperor Majorian.
The decay of the city had gradually impaired the value of the public

Vol. III. 3 N works ;

THE DECLINE AND FALL

works. The circus and theatres might ftill excite, but they feldcm
gratified, the defires of the people : the temples, which had efcaped
the zeal of the Chriftians, were no longer inhabited either by gods or
men ; the diminished crowds of the Romans were loft in the immenfe
fpace of their baths and porticoes ; and the ftately libraries and hafls
of juftice became ufelefs to an indolent generation, whofe repofe was
feldom diflurbed, either by fhidy, or bufinefs. The monuments of
confular, or Imperial, greatnefs were no longer revered, as the im-
mortal glory of the capital ; they were only efteemed as an inex-
hauftible mine of materials, cheaper, and more convenient, than the
diftant quarry. Specious petitions were continually addreffed to the
eafy magiftrates of Rome, which ftated the want of ftones or bricks
for fome neceffary fervice : the faireft forms of architecture wTere
rudely defaced for the fake of fome paltry, or pretended, repairs ;
and the degenerate Romans, who converted the fpoil to their own
emolument, demoliftied, with facrilegious hands, the labours of their
anceftors. Majorian, who had often fighed over the defolation of
the city, applied a fevere remedy to the growing evil 4\ He re-
ferved to the prince and fenate the fole cognifance of the extreme
cafes which might juftify the deftruction of an ancient edifice;- im-
pofed a fine of fifty pounds of gold (two thoufand pounds fterling)r
on every magistrate, who mould prefume to grant fuch illegal and
fcandalous licence ; and threatened to chaftife the criminal obedience
of their fubordinate officers, by a fevere whipping, and the amputa-
tion of both their hands. In the laft infrance, the legiflator might

43 The whole edi£l (Novell. Majorian. tit. With equal zeal, but with lefs power, Pe-

vi. p. 35.) is curious. " Antiquarum jedium trarch, in the fourteenth century, repeated

" diffipatur fpeciofa conflruftio ; etut aliquid the fame complaints (Vie de Petrarque,

*' reparetur, magna diruuntur. Hinc jam torn. i. p. 326, 327.)-. If I profecute this

" occafio nafcitur, ut etiam unufquifque pri- Hiftory, I mail not be unmindful of the

" vatum fedificium conferuens, per gratiam decline and fall of the city of Rome ; an in-

'* judicum .... prrefumere de publicis locis terefting objeft, to which my plan was origi-

" necefi'aria, et traiuferre non dubitet,'* Sec. nally confined.

feem

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE 459
feem to forget the proportion of guilt and punifhment ; but his zeal C H A P.

t+ r* ■ • XXX\ X.

arofe from a generous principle, and Majorian was anxious to pro- < , '

te& the monuments of thofe ages, in which he would have defired
and deferved to live. The emperor conceived, that it was his in-
tereft to increafe the number of his fubjecls ; that it was his duty to
guard the purity of the marriage-bed : but the means which he em-
ployed to accomplifh thefe falutary purpofes, are of an ambiguous,
and perhaps exceptionable, kind. The pious maids, who confe-
crated their virginity to Chrift, were rcftrained from taking the veil,
till they had reached their fortieth year. Widows under that age
were compelled to form a fecond alliance within the term of five
years, by the forfeiture of half their wealth to their neareft rela-
tions, or to the ftate. Unequal marriages were condemned or annul-
led. The punifhment of confifcation and exile was deemed fo in-
adequate to the guilt of adultery, that, if the criminal returned to
Italy, he might, by the exprefs declaration of Majorian, be flain
with impunity 4+.

While the emperor Majorian afliduoufly laboured to reftore the Majorian.
happinefs and virtue of the Romans, he encountered the arms of iPvTdTAfri-
Genferic, from his character and iituation, their moft formidable D ^
enemy. A fleet of Vandals and Moors landed at the mouth of the
Liris, or Garigliano : but the Imperial troops furprifed and attacked
the diforderly Barbarians, who were encumbered with the fpoils of
Campania ; they were chafed with flaughter to their mips, and then-
leader, the king's brother-in-law, was found in the number of the
flain 4S. Such vigilance might announce the chara&er of the new reign ;
but the ftri&eft vigilance, and the moft numerous forces, were in-

44 The emperor chides the lenity of Roga- nate widows, was foon afterwards repealed

tian, confular of Tufcany, in a ftyle of acri- by his fucceflbr Severus (Novell. Sever, tit. i.

monious reproof, which founds almolt like p. 37.).

perfonal refentment (Novell, tit. ix. p. 37.). 45 Sidon. Panegyr. Majorian. 3S5— 440.
The law of Majorian, which punilhed obfti-

3 N 2 fufficicnt

460

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c VI5 A7 p* fufKcient to protect the long-extended coaft of Italy, from the depre-

XXXVI*

v- ■— „ ; dations of a naval war. The public opinion had impofed a nobler

and more arduous talk on the genius of Majorian. Rome expected
from him alone the reftitution of Africa ; and the defign, which he
formed, of attacking the Vandals in their new fettlements, was the
reful t of bold and judicious policy. If the intrepid emperor could
have infufed his own fpirit into the youth of Italy ; if he could have
revived, in the field of Mars, the manly exercifes in which he had
always furpafled his equals ; he might have marched againft Gen-
feric, at the head of a Roman army. Such a reformation of
national manners might be embraced by the rifing generation ;
but it is the misfortune of thofe princes who laborioufly fuftain a
declining monarchy, that, to obtain fome immediate advantage, or
to avert fome impending danger, they are forced to countenance,
and even to multiply, the moft pernicious abufes. Majorian, like
the weakeft of his predeceflbrs, was reduced to the difgraceful expe-
dient of fubftituting Barbarian auxiliaries in the place of his unwar-
like fubjecls : and his fuperior abilities could only be difplayed in the
vigour and dexterity with which he wielded a dangerous inftru-
ment, fo apt to recoil on the hand that ufed it. Befides the confe-
derates, who were already engaged in the fervice of the empire, the
fame of his liberality and valour attracted the nations of the Da-
nube, the Boryfthenes, and perhaps of the Tanais. Many thoufands
of the braveft fubjects of Attila, the Gepidse, the Oftrogoths, the
Rugians, the Burgundians, the Suevi, the Alani, affembled in the
plains of Liguria ; and their formidable ftrength was balanced by
their mutual animofities 4\ They paffed the Alps in a fevere win-
ter. The emperor led the way, on foot, and in complete armour ;

*" The review of the arm)', andpaffageof (Hift. desPeuples, Sec. torn. viii. p. 49— 55.)
the Alps, contain the moft tolerable paflages is a more fatisfaitory commentator, than
of the Panegyric (-170 — 552.). M. de Boat either Savaron or Sirmond.

3 founding,

OF THE ROMAN EMPTRE.

founding, with his long ftaflf, the depth of the ice, or fnow, and JS™^'
encouraging the Scythians, who complained of the extreme cold, by v- — r—
the cheerful aifurance, that they mould be fatisfied with the heat of
Africa. The citizens of Lyons had prefumed to fhut their gates :
they foon implored, and experienced, the clemency of Majorian.
He vanquiflied Theodoric in the field ; and admitted to his friend-
fhip and alliance, a king whom he had found not unworthy of his
arms. The beneficial, though precarious, re -union of the greateft
part of Gaul and Spain, was the effect of perfuafion, as well as of
force 47 ; and the independent Bagaudre, who had efcaped, or refitt-
ed, the oppreffion of former reigns, were difpofed to confide in the
virtues of Majorian. His camp was filled with Barbarian allies ;
his throne was fupported by the zeal of an affectionate people ; but
the emperor had forefeen, that it was impoffible, without a mari-
time power, to atchieve the conqueft of Africa. In the firft Punie
war, the republic had exerted fuch incredible diligence, that, within
fixty days after the firft ftroke of the axe had been given in the foreft,
a' fleet of one hundred and fixty gallies proudly rode at anchor in the
fea 4S. Under circumftances much lefs favourable, Majorian equalled
the fpirit and perfeverance of the ancient Romans. The woods of the
Apennine were felled ; the arfenals and manufactures of Ravenna and
Mifenum were reftored ; Italy and Gaul vied with each other in
liberal contributions to the public fervice ; and the Imperial navy
of three hundred large gallies, with an adequate proportion of tranf-
ports and fmaller veifels, was collected in the fecure and capacious

47 Ta f*£» otXoi-, ti Je x^/or, is the juft and Florus, 1. ii. c. 2. He amufes himfelf

forcible diftinaion of Prifcus (Excerpt. Le- with the poetical faTlcy> that the tree5 had

gat. p. 42.) in a fhort fragment, which , t , . . , . , , ,

° , ,. , , , r , . • Deen transformed into ihips : and inueed the

throws much light on the hiltory of Majo- • ... , . , r ,

1 jur a j r whole tranfaaion. as it is related in the nrit

jorian. Jornandes has fupprcfled the defeat '

and alliance of the Vifigoths, which were fo- book of Polybius, deviates too much from

kmnly proclaimed in Galicia ; and are the probable courfs of human events,
marked in the Chronicle of Idatius.

harbour

402 THE DECLINE AND FALL

G H A harbour of Catthagena in Spain *9. The intrepid conntenance of

« v~ ^/ Majorian animated his troops with a confidence of victory ; and if

we might credit the hiftoriaji Procopius, liis courage fometimes hur-
ried him beyond the bounds of prudence. Anxious to explore, with
his own eyes, the ftate of the Vandals, he ventured, after difguifing
the colour of his hair, to vifit Carthage, in the character of his own
ambaffador : and Genferic was afterwards mortified by the difcovery,
that he had entertained and difmiffed the emperor of the Romans.
Such an anecdote may be rejected as an improbable fiction ; but it is
a fiction which would not have been imagined, unlefs in the life of a
hero 50.

The lofs of Without the help of a perfonal interview, Genferic was fufhciently
acquainted with the genius and defigns of his adverfary. He prac-
ticed his cuftomary arts of fraud and delay, but he practifed them
without fuccefs. His applications for peace became each hour more
fubmiffive, and perhaps more fincere, but the inflexible Majorian
had adopted the ancient maxim, that Rome could not be lafe, as
long as Carthage exifted in a hoftile ftate. The king of the Vandals
diftrufted the valour of his native fubjects, who were enervated by
the luxury of the South5'; he fufpected the fidelity of the vanquifhed
people, who abhorred him as an Arian tyrant; and the defperate
mealiirc, which he executed, of reducing Mauritania into a delert S1,

" could

*9 Interea dcplici texis dum littore claflem the arms clafhed of their own accord. Maj'o-
Inferno fuperoque mari, cedit omnis in rian had tinged his yellow locks with a black
xquor colour.

Sylva tibi, &x. 51 Spoliifque potitus

Sidon. Panegyr. Majorian. 441 — 461. Immenfis, robur luxu jam perdidit omne,
The number of lhips, which Prifcus fixes Quo valuit dum pauper erat.
at 300, is magnified, by an indefinite com- Panegyr. Majorian. 330.

parifon with the fleets of Agamemnon, He afterwards applies to Genferic, unjultly
Xerxes, and Auguftus. as it fhould feem, the vices of his fubje&s.

50 Procopius de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. c. 8. 5* He burnt the villages, and poifoned the
p. 194. When Genferic conducted his un- fprings. (Prifcus, p. 42.) Dubos (Hifi,
known guelt into the arfenal of Carthage, Critique, torn. i. p. 475.) obferves, that the

magazines

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

could not defeat the operations of the Roman emperor, who was at
liberty to land his troops on any part of the African coaft. But
Genferic was faved from impending and inevitable ruin, by the
treachery of fome powerful fubjects; envious, or appreheafive, of
their matter's fuccefs. Guided by their fecret intelligence, he fur-
prifed the unguarded fleet in the bay of Carthagena : many of the fhips
were funk, or taken, or burnt; and the preparations of three years
were deftroyed in a fingle day After this event, the behaviour
of the two antagonifts fhewed them fuperior to their fortune. The
Vandal, inftead of being elated by this accidental victory, immedi-
ately renewed his folicitations for peace. The emperor of the Weft,
who was capable of forming great defigns, and of fupporting heavy
difappointments, confented to a treaty, or rather to a fufpenfion of
arms ; in the full afhirance that, before he could reftore his navy, he
mould be fupplied with provocations to juftify a fecond war. Ma-
jorian returned to Italy, to profecute his labours for the public hap-
pinefs ; and, as he was confcious of his own integrity, he might long
remain ignorant of the dark confpiracy which threatened his throne
and his life. The recent [misfortune of Carthagena fullied the glory,,
which had dazzled the eyes of the multitude: almoft every defcrip-
tion of civil and military officers were exafperated againfl the Re-
former, fmce they all derived fome advantage from the abufes which
he endeavoured to fupprefsj and the patrician Ricimer impelled the
inconftant paffions of the Barbarians againfl; a prince whom he
efteemed and hated. The virtues of Majorian could not protect
him from the impetuous fedition, which broke out in the camp near-

magazines which the Moors buried in the 53 Idatius, who was fafe in Gallicia from

earth, might efcape his deflructive fearch. the power of Ricimer, boldly and honeftly

Two or three hundred pits are fometimes declares, Vandali per proditores admoniti,

dug in the fame place ; and each pit con- &c. he diffembles, however, the name of the

tains at lead four hundred bufhels of corn, traitor.
Shaw's Travels, p. 1 39.

Torfona^

464

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XKXVT.

His death,
A. D. 461.
Aug u ft 7.

Jiicimcr
reigns under

the name of

Severus,

A. D. 461 —

4/7.

Tortonn, at the foot of the Alps. He was compelled to abdicate
the Imperial purple: five days after his abdication, it was reported
that he died of a dyfentery J4>; and the humble tomb, which covered
his remains, was conlecrated by the reipect and gratitude of fucceed-
Lng generations The private character of Majorian infpircd love
and refpect. Malicious calumny and fatire excited his indignation,
or, if he himfelf were the object, his contempt : but he protected
the freedom of wit, and in the hours which the emperor gave to the
familiar fociety of his friends, he could indulge his tafte for plea-
fantry, without degrading the majefty of his rank s6.

It was not perhaps without fomc regret, that Ricimer facrificed
his friend to the intereft of his ambition : but he refolved, in a
fecond choice, to avoid the imprudent preference of fuperior virtue
and merit. At his command, the obfequious lenate of Rome be-
llowed the Imperial title on Libius Severus, who afcended the
throne of the Weil without emerging from the obfeurity of a private
condition. Hiftory has fcarcely deigned to notice his birth, his eleva-
tion, his character, or his death. Severus expired, as foon as his life
became inconvenient to his patron 57 ; and it would be ufelefs to dif-

54 Procop. dc Bell. Vandal. 1. i. c. 8.
p. 194. The teflimony of Idatius is fair and
impaitial ; " Majorianuin de Galliis Romajn
" redeuntcm, Ct Romano imperii) vol nomi-

hi res neceflarias ordinantem ; Richimer

livore perciuis, ct invidorum confdio ful-
" tus, frattde intcrfkit circumventum." Some
read Suevcfurn, and I am unwilling to efface
either of the words, as they cxprefs the dif-
ferent accomplices who united in the con-
ipiracy againll Majorian.

s$ See the Epigrams of Ennodius, N°
exxxv. inter Sirmond Opera, torn. i. p.
1903. It is flat and obXcure ; but Ennodius
vas made biftlOP ofPavia fifty years after the
•death of Majorian, and his praife deferves
jcredit and regard.

58 Sidonius gives a tedious account (1. i.
epifl. xi. p. 25 — 31.) of a fupper at Aries,
to which he was invited by Majorian, a fhort
time before his death. He had no intention
of praifing a deccafed emperor; but a cafual
difinterclled remark, M Subrifit Auguftus; ut
" erat, auifloritate fervata, cum fe commu-
" nioni dediflct, joci plenus," outweighs the
fix hundred lines of his venal panegyric.

57 Sidonius (Panegyr. Anthem. 317.) dif-
miffes him to heaven.

Auxerat Auguftus naturse lege Severus

Divorum numerum.

And an old lift of the emperors, compofed
about the time of Juftini.-.n, praifes his piety,
and fixes his refidence at Rome (biimond
Not. ad Sidon. p. 111, 112.).

criminate

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 4tfy

criminate his nominal reign in the vacant interval of fix years, be- c H A P.

tween the death of Majorian, and the elevation of Antlicmius. y w~. ->

During that period the government was in the hands of Ricimer
alone j and although the modeft Barbarian difclaimed the name of
king, he accumulated treafures, formed a feparate army, negociated
private alliances, and ruled Italy with the fame independent and de-
fpotic authority, which was afterwards exercifed by Odoaccr and
Theodoric. But his dominions were bounded by the Alps ; and two
Roman generals, Marcellinus and iEgidius, maintained their alle-
giance to the republic, by rejecting, with difdain, the phantom
which he ftyled an emperor. Marcellinus ftill adhered to the old Revolt of
religion ; and the devout Pagans, who fecretly difobeyed the laws in DaJmatia
of the church and ftate, applauded his profound fkili in the fcience
of divination. But he poffelTed the more valuable qualifications of
learning, virtue, and courage 58 ; the fludy of the Latin literature
had improved his tafte ; and his military talents had recommended
him to the efteem and confidence of the great jEtius, in whofe
ruin he was involved. By a timely flight, Marcellinus efcaped the
rage of Valentinian, and boldly afTerted his liberty amidft the con-
vulfions of the Weftern empire. His voluntary, or reluctant, fub-
miflion, to the authority of Majorian, was rewarded by the govern-
ment of Sicily, and the command of an army, flationed in that
, ifland to oppofe, or to attack, the Vandals ; but his Barbarian mer-
cenaries, after the emperor's death, were tempted to revolt by the
artful liberality of Ricimer. At the head of a band of faithful fol-
lowers, the intrepid Marcellinus occupied the province of Dalmatia,
afTumed the title of patrician of the W eft, fecured the love of his
fubjects by a mild and equitable reign, built a fleet, which claimed
the dominion of the Hadriatic, and alternately alarmed the coafls of

s* Tillemont, who is always fcandalized Suiclas has prefcrved), to the partial zea! of
by the virtues of Infidels, attributes this ad- foine Pygan hiftorian (Hift. des Lmpercurs,
vantageous portrait of Marcellinus (which torn. vi. p. 330.).

Vol. III. 3 O Italy

466

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CXXXVIP' ^ta^ an<^ °^ ^T'lC2L ^Eg'idius, the mafter-general of Gaul, who

v , 1 equalled, or at leaft who imitated, the heroes of ancient Rome 6°,

«liu5 in Gaul, proclaimed his immortal rcfentment againft the afTaffins of his be-
loved mafter. A brave and numerous army was- attached to his
ftandard ; and, though he was prevented by the arts of Ricimer, and
the arms of the Vifigoths, from marching to the gates of Rome, he
maintained his independent fovereignty beyond the Alps, and ren-
dered the name of iEgidius refpectable both in peace and war. The
Franks, who had punifhed with exile the youthful follies of Childeric,
elected the Roman general for their king ; his vanity, rather than
his ambition, was gratified by that fingular honour; and when the
nation, at the end of four years, repented of the injury which they
had offered to the Merovingian family, he patiently acquiefced in the
reftoration of the lawful prince. The authority of iEgidius ended
only with his life ; and the fufpicions of poifon and fecret violence,
which derived fome countenance from the character of Ricimer,. were
eagerly entertained by the paffioaate credulity of the Gauls M.
Naval war The kingdom of Italy, a name to which the Weftern empire was
Sais^ Van" gradually reduced, was afflicted, under the reign of Ricimer, by the

^67D' 361 inceffant depredations of the Vandal pirates 6\ In the fpring of

each-

» Procopius de Bell. Vandal. I. i. c. 6. jeftions againft the ftory of Childeric (Hift.
p. 191. In various circumftances of the life de France, torn. i. Preface Hiftorique, p.
of Marcellinus, it is not eafy to reconcile the Ixxviii. &c.) : but they have been fairly fa-
Greek hiftorian with the Latin Chronicles tisfied by Dubos (Hift. Critique, torn. i.
of the times. p. 460 — 510.), and by two authors who dif-
*° I mull apply to iEgidius, the praifes puted the prize of the Academy of Soiflbns
which Sidonius (Panegyr. Majorian, 553.) (p. 131 — 177. 310—339.). With regard
bellows on a namelefs mafter-general, who to the term of Childeric's exile, it is necef-
commanded the rear-guard of Majorian. fary either to prolong the life of iEgidius be-
Jdatius, from public report, commends his yond the date affigned by the Chronicle of
Chriftian piety; and Prifcus mentions (p. Idatius ; or to correct the text of Gregory, by
42.) his military virtues. reading quarto anno, inftead of o£la<vo.

ei Greg. Turon. 1. ii. c. 12. in torn. ii. 61 The naval war of Genferic is defcribed

p. 168. The Pere Daniel, whofe ideas were by Prifcus (Excerpta Legation, p. 42..), Pro-

fuperficial and modern, has ftarted fome ob- copius (de Bell. Vandal. L i. c. 5. p. 189,,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

467

each year, they equipped a formidable navy in the port of Carthage ; Cx^XyIP'
and Genferic himfelf, though in a ' very advanced age, ftill corn- *
manded in perfon the moll: important expeditions. His defigns were
concealed with impenetrable fecrecy, till the moment that he hoifted
fail. When he was afked by his pilot, what courfe he mould fteer ;
" Leave the determination to the winds (replied the Barbarian, with
" pious arrogance) ; they will tranfport us to the guilty coaft, whofe
" inhabitants have provoked the divine juftice:" but if Genferic
himfelf deigned to ifiue more precife orders, he judged the moft
wealthy to be the moft criminal. The Vandals repeatedly vifited the
coafts of Spain, Liguria, Tufcany, Campania, Lucania, Bruttium,
Apulia, Calabria, Venetia, Dalmatia, Epirus, Greece, and Sicily :
they were tempted to fubdue the illand of Sardinia, fo advantage-
oufiy placed in the centre of the Mediterranean ; and their arms
fpread defolation, or terror, from the columns of Hercules to the
mouth of the Nile. As they were more ambitious of fpoil than of
glory, they feldom attacked any fortified cities, or engaged any
regular troops in the open field. But the celerity of their motions
enabled them, almoft at the fame time, to threaten and to attack the
moft diftant objects, which attracted their defires ; and as they
always embarked a fufficient number of horfes, they had no fooner
landed, than they fwept the difmayed country with a body of light
cavalry. Yet, notwithstanding the example of their king, the native
Vandals and Alani infenfibly declined this toilfome and perilous
warfare ; the hardy generation of the firft conquerors was almoft

190. and c. 22. p. 228.), Viclor Vitenfis In or.e pa/Tage the poet feems l'nfpired by his

(de Perfecut. Vandal. 1. i. c. 17., and Rui- fubjecl, and exprefl'es a Itrong idea, by a

nart, p. 467—481.)* and in the three pane- lively image :

gyrics of Sidonius, whofe chronological order Hinc Vandalus holHs

is abfurdly tranfpofed in the editions both Urget ; et in nolhum nunieroli clafie quot-
of Savaron and Sirmond. (Avit. Carm. vii. annis

+4_1_45l. Mnjorian, Carm. v. 327 — 350. Militat excidium ; converfcquc ordine Fati

385—440. Anthem. Carm. ii. 348-386.) Ton ida Caucafcos infert mihi Byrfa furores.

3 O 2 extinguiflied,

468

THE. DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, extinguimed, and their fons, who were born in Africa, enjoyed the

t , v — «; delicious baths and gardens which had been acquired by the valour

of their fathers. Their place was readily fupplied by a various mul-
titude of Moors and Romans, of captives and outlaws ; and thofe
defperate wretches, who had already violated the laws of their
country, were the mod eager to promote the atrocious acts which
difgrace the victories of Genferic. In the treatment of his un-
happy prifoners, he fometimes confulted his avarice, and fometimes
indulged his cruelty; and the mafTacre of five hundred no-
ble citizens of Zant or Zacynthus, whofe mangled bodies he caft
into the Ionian fea, was imputed, by the public indignation, to his
lateft pofterity.

Negociations Such crimes could not be excufed by any provocations ; but the
Eaitem2 war, which the king of the Vandals profecuted againft the Roman
a" 1^462 empire, was juftifled by a fpecious and reafonable motive. The
&c* widow of Valentinian, Eudoxia, whom he had led captive from

Rome to Carthage, was the fole heirefs of the Theodofian houfe ;
her elder daughter, Eudocia, became the reluctant wife of Hunneric,
his eldeft fon ; and the ftern father, afferting a legal claim, which
could not eafily be refuted or fatisfied, demanded a juft proportion
of the Imperial patrimony. An adequate, or at leaft a valuable,
compenfation, was offered by the Eaftern emperor, to purchafe a ne-
ceffary peace. Eudoxia and her younger daughter, Placidia, were
honourably reftored, and the fury of the Vandals was confined to
the limits of the Weftern empire. The Italians, deftitute of a naval
force, which alone was capable of protecting their coafts, implored
the aid of the more fortunate nations of the Eaft ; who had formerly
acknowledged^ in peace and war, the fupremacy of Rome. But
the perpetual divifion of the two empires had alienated their intereft
and their inclinations ; the faith of a recent treaty was alleged ; and
the Weftern Romans, inftead of arms and mips, could only obtain

f the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

469

the afiiftance of a cold and ineffectual mediation. The haughty Ri- c VviP*

A. A. A V 1*

cimer, who had long ftruggled with the difficulties of his fituation, < — •% — — '
was at length reduced to addrefs the throne of Conftantinople in the
humble language of a fubject ; arid Italy fubmitted, as the price and
fccurity of the alliance, to accept a mafter from the choice of the em-
peror of the Eaft63. It is not the purpofe of the prefent chapter, or
even of the prefent volume, to continue the diftinct ferics of the
Byzantine hiftory ; but a concife view of the reign and character of
the emperor Leo, may explain the laft efforts that were attempted to
fave the failing empire of the Weft S4.

Since the death of the younger Theodofius, the domeftic repofe of Leo, empe-
Conftantinople had never been interrupted by war or faction. Pulche- Eaft,
ria had beftowed her hand, and the fceptre of the Eaft, on the modeft ^j^' 457—
virtue of Marcian : he gratefully reverenced her auguft rank and
virgin chaftity ; and, after her death, he gave his people the example
of the religious worfhip, that was due to the memory of the Impe-
rial faint 6S. Attentive to the profperity of his own dominions,
Marcian feemed to behold, with indifference, the misfortunes of
Rome ; and the obftinate refufal of a brave and active prince, to
draw his fword againft the Vandals, was afcribed to a fecret pro-
mife, which had formerly been exacted from him when he was a

63 The poet himfelf is compelled to ac-

' • knowledge the diftrefs ofRicimer :

Prasterea invictus Ricimer, quern publica fata
Refpiciunt, proprio folus vix Marie repellit
Piratam per rura vagum *
Italy addreiTes her complaint to the Tyber,
and Rome, at the folicitation of the river
god, tranfports herfelf to Conftantinople,
renounces her ancient claims, and implores
the friendftiip of Aurora, the goddefs of the
Eaft. This fabulous machinery, which the
genius of Ciaudian had uled and abufed, is
the coniiant and miferable refource of the
xnufe of Sidonius.

** The original authors of the reigns of
Marcian, Leo, and Zeno, are reduced to
fome imperfect fragments, whofe deficiencies
muft be fupplied from the more recent com-
pilations of Theophanes, Zonaras, and Ce-
drenus.

65 St. Pulcheria died A. D. 453, four
years before her nominal hufhand ; and her
feftival is celebrated on the 10th of Septem-
ber by the modern Greeks : Ihe bequeathed
an immenfe patrimony to pious, or at leaft
to eccleiiaftical, ufes. See Tillemont, Me-
moires Ecclef. torn. xv. p. 181 — 1S4.

captive

47°

THE. DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, captive in the oower of Genferic 66. The death of Marcian, after a
XXXVI.

reign of feven years, would have expofed the Eaft to the danger of
a popular election ; if the fuperior weight of a fingle family, had not
been able to incline the balance in favour of the candidate whofe
interefi they fupported. The patrician Afpar might have placed
•the diadem on his own head ; if he would have fubfcribed the
Nicene creed 6\ During three generations, the armies of the
Eaft were fucceiTively commanded by his father, by himfelf, and by
his fon Ardaburius : his Barbarian guards formed a military force
that overawed the palace and the capital ; and the liberal diftribu-
tion of his immenfe treafures, rendered Afpar as popular, as he was
powerful. He recommended the obfcure name of Leo of Thrace, a
military tribune, and the principal fteward of his houfehold. His
nomination was unanimoufly ratified by the fenate ; and the fervant
.of Afpar received the Imperial crown from the hands of the pa-
jtriarch, or bifliop, who was permitted to exprefs, by this unufual
ceremony, the fuffrage of the Deity 68. This emperor, the firfl of
the name of Leo, has been diftinguiihed by the title of the Great ;
from a fuccefhon of princes, who gradually fixed, in the opinion of
the Greeks, a very humble ftandard of heroic, or at leaft of royal, per-
fection. Yet the temperate firmnefs with which Leo refifted the op-
preffion of his benefactor, mewed that he was confeious of his duty
and of his prerogative. Afpar was aftonifhed to find that his influ-
ence could no longer appoint a praefect of Conftantinople : he pre-
fumed to reproach his fovereign with a breach of promife, and info-
lently making his purple, " It is not proper (faid he), that the man

66 See Procopius de Bell. Vandal. !. i. c» Theophanes, p. 95. This appears to
c. 4. p. 185. De tne £rfl. origin 0f a ceremony, which all

67 From this difability of Afpar to afcend . ™ • r , ,', , c
, , . ••!-•« 1 „ ■ the Chriltian princes or the world have fince

the throne, it may be inferred that the ftain , , . . ,.,-.» «

cur 1 j • j Tii ,-, adopted; and from which the clergy have

or Herefy was perpetual and indelible, while r bl

that of Barbarifm difappeared in the fecond Educed the molt formidable confequences.
-generation.

" who

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

" who is inverted with this garment, mould be guilty of lying." CHAP.

" Nor is it proper (replied Leo), that a prince mould be compelled < „ *

" to refign his own judgment, and the public intereft, to the will
" of a fubjec~t 69." After this extraordinary fcene, it was impoflible
that the reconciliation of the emperor and the patrician could be fin-
cere ; or, at leaft, that it could be folid and permanent. An army of
Ifaurians 70 was fecretly levied, and introduced into Conftantinople ;
and while Leo undermined the authority, and prepared the difgrace,
of the family of Afpar, his mild and cautious behaviour reftrained
them from any ram and defperate attempts, which might have been
fetal to themfelves, or their enemies. The meafures of peace and war
were affected by this internal revolution. As long as Afpar degraded
the majefty of the throne, the iecret correfpondence of religion and
intereft engaged him to favour the caufe of Genferic. When Leo had
delivered himfelf from that ignominious fervitude, he liftened to the
complaints of the Italians; refolved to extirpate the tyranny of the
Vandals; and declared his alliance with his colleague, Anthemius,.
whom he folemnly inverted with the diadem and purple of the
Weft.

The virtues of Anthemius have perhaps been magnified^ fince Anth

ciriiis

the Imperial defcent, which he could only deduce from the ^PWeft°f

ufurper Procopius, has been fwelled into a line of emperors 11 . A- D< 467- —

472,

,But the merit of his immediate parents, their honours, and their

e9 Cedrenus (p< 345 346.), who was con- 71 Tali tucivis a-b urbe

vei fant with the writers of better days, has Procopio genitore micas; cui prifca pro-
preferved the remarkable words of Afpar,. pago

roi uvm> ** ategy&t vq&by** a Jugujlh vtnh a froavis.

X'r?° The power of the Ifaurians agitated the ThePoet (Sidon.Panegyr.Anthem.67-306.)

E'aftern empire in the two fuceeeding- reigns then Foceeds t0 relaCe the P".v«e a°d

of Zeno and Ana.lafius ; but it ended in the fortunes of the future emperor, with which

deduction of thofe Barbarians, who main- he mud have been very imperfectly ac-

tained their fierce independence about two quainted,
kucdred and thirty years.

riches,,

47*

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. riches, rendered Anthemius one of the moft illuftrious fubiecls of
XXXVI.

i_ u - ,' the Eaft. His father, Procopius, obtained, after his Perfian em-
bafly, the rank of general and patrician ; and the name of Anthe-
mius was derived from his maternal grandfather, the celebrated
praefedt, who protected, with fo much ability and fuccefs, the infant
reign of Theodofius. The grandfon of the prefect was raifed above
the condition of a private fubjed:, by his marriage with Euphemia,
the daughter of the emperor Marcian. This fplendid alliance,
which might fuperfede the neceffity of merit, haftened the promo-
tion of Anthemius to the fucceffive dignities of count, of mafter-
general, of conful, and of patrician ; and his merit or fortune claimed
the honours of a victory, which was obtained on the banks of the
Danube, over the Huns. Without indulging an extravagant ambi-
tion, the fon-in-law of Marcian might hope to be his fucceffor but
Anthemius fupported the difappointment with courage and patience;
and his fubfequent elevation was univerfally approved by the public,
who efteemed him worthy to reign, till he afcended the throne .
The emperor of the Weft marched from Conftantinople, attended by
feveral counts of high diftinclion, and a body of guards, almoft equal
A. D. 467, to the ftrength and numbers of a regular army : he entered Rome in
April 12. triumph, and the choice of Leo was confirmed by the fenate, the
people, and the Barbarian confederates of Italy ". The folemn in-
auguration of Anthemius was followed by the nuptials of his daugh-
ter and the patrician Ricimer ; a fortunate event, which was confi-
dered as the firmer! fecurity of the union and happinefs of the ftate.
The wealth of two empires was oftentatioufly difplayed j and
many fenators completed their ruin by an expenfive effort to difguife

7* Sidonius difcovers, with tolerable in- 73 The poet again celebrates the unani-
genuity, that this difappointment added new mity of all orders of the ftate (15 — 22.):
luftre to the virtues of Anthemius (210, Sec), and the Chronicle of Idatius mentions the"
who' declined one fceptre, and reluctantly forces which attended his march,
gecepted another (22, &c).

their

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

47j

their poverty. All ferious bufinefs was fufpcnded during this fefti- c *L£r/'
val ; the courts of juftice were fhut ; the ftreets of Rome, the thea- v — — j
tres, the places of public and private relbrt, reioundcd with hyme-
neal fongs and dances ; and the royal bride, clothed in filkcn robes,
with a crown on her head, was conducted to the palace of Ricimer,
who had changed his military drefs for the habit of a conful and a
fenator. On this memorable occafion, Sidonius, whofe early am-
bition had been fo fatally blafted, appeared as the orator of Auvergne,
among the provincial deputies who addrefled the throne with con-
gratulations or complaints The calends of January were now A- D- 46&>
approaching, and the venal poet, who had loved Avitus, and efteem-
ed Majorian, was perfuaded by his friends, to celebrate, in heroic
verfe, the merit, the felicity, the fecond confulfhip, and the future
triumphs of the emperor Anthemius. Sidonius pronounced, with
aflurance and fuccefs, a panegyric which is frill extant ; and what-
ever might be the imperfections, either of the fubject or of the
compofition, the welcome flatterer was immediately rewarded with
the prefecture of Rome; a dignity which placed him among the
illuftrious perfonages of the empire, till he wifely preferred the
more refpectable character of a bifhop and a faint".

The Greeks ambitioufly commend the piety and catholic faith of The feftlval
the emperor whom they gave to the Weft; nor do they forget to percalia,"
obferve, that when he left Conftantinople, he converted his palace
into the pious foundation of a public bath, a church, and an hofpi-
tal for old men 76. Yet fome fufpicious appearances arc found to fully

the

74 Interveni autcm nuptiis Patricii Rici- his reward. " Hie ipfe Panegyricus, fi non
meris, cui filia perennis Augufti in fpem " judicium, certe eventum, boni operis,
publics fecuritatis copulabatur. The jour- ** accepit." He was made bilhop of Cler-
ney of Sidonius from Lyons, and the fcftival mont, A. D. 471. Tillemont, Mem. Ec-
of Rome, are defcribed with fome fpirit. clef. torn. xvi. p. 750.
L. i. epift. 5. p. 9—13. Epift. 9. p. zi. The palace of Anthemius ftood on the

" Sidonius (1. i. epift. 9. p. 23, 24.) banks of the Propontis. In the ninth cen-
very fairly ftates his motive, his labour, and tury, Alexius, the fon«in-law of the emperor

Vot- UL 3 p Theophilus,

474

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. the theological fame of Anthemius. From the converfation of Phi-

XXXVI. h
i, lotheus, a Macedonian fectary, he had imbibed the fpirit of religious

toleration ; and the Heretics of Rome would have affembled with
impunity, if the bold and vehement cenfure which pope Hilary
pronounced in the church of St. Peter, had not obliged him to abjure
the unpopular indulgence Even the Pagans, a feeble and obfcure
remnant, conceived fome vain hopes from the indifference, or par-
tiality, of Anthemius ; and his fingular friendfhip for the philofopher
Severus, whom he promoted to the confulfhip, was afcribed to a
fecret project, of reviving the ancient worfhip of the Gods 78.
Thefe idols were crumbled into duft: and the mythology which
had once been the creed of nations, was fo univerfally difbe-
lieved, that it might be employed without fcandal, or at lead
without fufpicion, by Chriftian poets 79. Yet the veftiges of fuper-
ftition were not abfolutely obliterated, and the feftival of the Luper-
calia, whofe origin had preceded- the foundation of Rome, was ftill
celebrated under the reign of Anthemius. The favage and fimple
rites were expreffive of an early ftate of fociety before the invention
of arts and agriculture. The ruftic deities who prefided over the
toils and pleafures of the paftoral life, Pan, Faunus, and their train
of fatyrs, were fuch as the fancy of fhepherds might create, fportive,,

Theophilus, obtained permifiion te purchafe 78 Damafcius, in the life of the philcfo-
the ground ; and ended his days in a mona- pher Ifidore, apud Photium, p. 1049. Da-
fiery which he founded on that delightful mafcius, who lived under Juilinian, com-
ipot. Ducange, Conflantinopolis Chriftiana, pofed another work, confifHng of 570 prae-
p. 117. 152. ternatural flories of fouls, daemons, appaii-

77 Papa Hilarus . . . apud beatum Pe- tions, the dotage of Platonic Paganifm.
trum Apofiolum, palam ne id fieret clara 79 In the poetical works of Sidonius, which-

voce confirinxit, in tantum ut non ea faci- he afterwards condemned (1. ix. epifi. 16.

enda cum interpofitione juramenti idem pro- p. 285. ), the fabulous deities are the prin-

mitteret Imperator. Gelafius Epiftol. ad An- cipal aclors. If Jerom was fcourged by the

dronicum, apud Baron. A. D. 467. N° 3. angels for only reading Virgil ; the bifhop of

The cardinal obferves, with fome compla- Clermont, for fuch a vile imitation, deferved

cency, that it was much eafier to plant he- an additional whipping from the mufes.
refies at Conftantinople, than at Rome,

g petulanj,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

475

petulant, and lafcivious; whofe power was limited, and whofe ma- C^yy\i'
lice was inoffenfive. A goat was the offering the beft adapted to » — -v- — *
their character and attributes ; the flefti of the victim was roafted on
willow fpits ; and the riotous youths, who crowded to the feaft, ran
naked about the fields, with leather thongs in their hands, communi-
cating, as it was fuppofed, the bleffing of fecundity to the women
whom they touched so. The altar of Pan was erected, perhaps by
Evander the Arcadian, in a dark recefs in the fide of the Palatine-
hill, watered by a perpetual fountain, and fhaded by an hanging
grove, A tradition, that, in the fame place, Romulus and Remus
were fuckled by the wolf, rendered it ftill more facred and venerable
in the eyes of the Romans ; and this fylvan fpot was gradually fur-
rounded by the {lately edifices of the Forum 8\ After the conver-
fion of the Imperial city, the Chriftians ftill continued, in the month
of February, the annual celebration of the Lupercalia; to which
they alcribed a fecret and myfterious influence on the genial powers
of the animal and vegetable world. The bifhops of Rome were foli-
citous to abolifli a profane cuftom, fo repugnant to the fpirit of
Chriftianity ; but their zeal was not fupported by the authority of the
civil magiftrate: the inveterate abufe fubfifted till the end of the fifth
century, and pope Gelafius, who purified the capital from the laft
ftain of idolatry, appeafed, by a formal apology, the murmurs of
the fenate and people 8\

80 Ovid (Faft. 1. ii. 267—452.) has given 81 Baronius publifhed, from the MSS. of
an amufing defcription of the follies of anti- the Vatican, this epiftle of pope Gelafius
quity, which ftill infpired fo much refpeft, (A. D. 496. N° 28—45.), which is entitled
that a grave magiftrate, running naked Adverfus Andromachum Senatcrem, cxte-
through the ftreets, was not an objecl: of rofque Romanos, qui Lupercalia fecuadum
aftoniftiment or laughter. morem priftinum colenda conlHtucbant. Ge-

81 See Dionyf. Halicarn. I. i. p. 25. 65. lafius always fuppofes that his adverfaries are
edit. Hudfon. The Roman Antiquaries, nominal -Chriftians, and that he may not
Donatus, (I. ii. c. 18. p. 173, 174. and jicld to them in abfurd prejudice, he im-
Nardini (p. 386, 387.), have laboured to putcs to this harmlefs feiliraJ, all the cala-
afcertain the xtue fituation of the Lupercal. mities of the age.

3 P 2 In

47<5

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XXXVI.
• — '

Preparations
a,;ainft the
Vandals of
Africa,
A. D. 468.

In all his public declarations, the emperor Leo affumes the autho-
rity, and profeffes the affection, of a father, for his fon Anthemius,
with whom he had divided the adminiftration of the univerfe 83.
The fituation, and perhaps the character, of Leo, diffuaded him from
expofing his perfon to the toils and dangers of an African war. But
the powers of the Eaftern empire were ftrenuoufly exerted to deliver
Italy and the Mediterranean from the Vandals j and Genferic, who
had fo long opprefled both the land and fea, was threatened from
every fide with a formidable invafion. The campaign was opened
by a bold and fuccefsful enterprife of the prsefect Heraclius E+. The
troops of Egypt, Thebais, and Libya, were embarked under his
command : and the Arabs, with a train of horfes and camels, opened
the roads of the defert. Heraclius landed on the coaft of Tripoli,
furprifed and fubdued the cities of that province, and prepared, by a
laborious march, which Cato had formerly executed Ss, to join the
Imperial army under the walls of Carthage. The intelligence of this
lofs extorted from Genferic, fome infidious and ineffectual propofitions
of peace : but he was ftill more ferioufly alarmed by the reconcilia-
tion of Marcellinus with the two empires. The independent patri-
cian had been perfuaded to acknowledge the legitimate title of An-
themius, whom he accompanied in his journey to Rome ; the Dal-

*3 Itaque nos quibus totius mundi regi-
men commifit fuperna provifio .... Pius
et triumphator Temper Auguftus Alius nofler
Anthemius, licet Divina Majeftas et noftra
creatio pietati ejus plenam Imperii commi-
ferit poteftatem, &c. . . . Such is the dig-
nified ftyle of Leo, whom Anthemius re-
fpe&fully names, Dominus et Pater meus
Princeps facratiflimus Leo. See Novell. An-
them, tit. ii, iii. p. 38. ad calcem. Cod.
Theod.

E4 The expedition of Heraclius is clouded
with difficulties (Tillemont, Hift. des Empe-
reur$j torn. vi. p. 640.), and it requires fome
dexterity to ufe the circumllances afforded

by Theophanes, without injury to the more
refpeftable evidence of Procopius.

81 The march of Cato from Berenice, in
the province of Cyrene, was much longer
than that of Heraclius from Tripoli. He
pafTed the deep fandy defert in thirty days,
and it was found nece/Tary to provide, be-
fides the ordinary fupplies, a great number
of fkins filled with water, and feveral PJyM,
who were fuppofed to poflefs the art of fuck-
ing the wounds which had been made by the
ferpents of their native country. See Plu-
tarch in Caton. Uticens, torn. iv. p. 275.
Strabon. Geograph. 1. xvii. p. 1 193.

matiaa

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

477

matian fleet was received into the harbours of Italy ; the active valour Cx"XyjP'
of Marcellinus expelled the Vandals from the ifland of Sardinia ; v— — « — -*
and the languid efforts of the Weft added fome weight to the im-
menfe preparations of the Eaftern Romans. The expence of the
naval armament, which Leo fent againft the Vandals, has been
diftinctly afcertained ; and the curious and inftructive account dis-
plays the wealth of the declining empire. The royal demefnes, or
private patrimony of the prince, fupplied Seventeen thoufand pounds
of gold ; forty-feven thoufand pounds of gold, and feven hundred
thoufand of filver, were levied and paid into the treafury by the
Prastorian prefects. But the cities were reduced to extreme poverty ;
and the diligent calculation of fines and forfeitures, as a valuable
object of the revenue, does not fuggeft the idea of a juft, or merciful,
adminiftration. The whole expence, by whatfoever means it was
defrayed, of the African campaign, amounted to the fum of one
hundred and thirty thoufand pounds of gold, about five millions two
hundred thoufand pounds fterling, at a time when the value of money
appears, from the comparative price of corn, to have been fomewhat
higher than in the prefent age 86. The fleet that failed from Con-
ftantinople to Carthage, confuted of eleven hundred and thirteen
mips, and the number of foldiers and mariners exceeded one hundred
thoufand men. Bafilifcus, the brother of the emprefs Vorina, was
' ehtrufted with this important command. His fifter, the wife of
Leo, had exaggerated the merit of his former exploits againft the
Scythians. But the difcovery of his guilt, or incapacity, was re-
ferved for the African war j and his friends could only fave his mi-

•6 The principal fum is clearly exprefl"- certain, and lefs important. The hiftorian

ed by Procopius (de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. Malchus laments the public mifery (Excerpt,

c. vi. p. 191.); the fmaller conftituent ex Suida in Corp. Hiit. Byzant. p. 58.);

parts, which Tillcmont (Hiit. des Empe- but he is furely unjuft, when he charges Leo

reurs, torn. vi. p. 396.) has laboiioufly col- with hoarding the treafures which he extort-

lected from the Byzantine writers, are lefs ed from the people.

3 litary

473

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CxxxviP' *ltar^ rePutatl0n> by aflerting, that he had confpired with Afpar to
v > Ipare Genferic, and to betray the laft hope of the Weftern empire.

Fail m* of the Experience has ihewn, that the fuccefs of an invader moft com-

c.vpciliuou.

monly depends on the vigour and celerity of his operations. The
ftrength and fharpnefs of the firft impreflion are blunted by delay ;
the health and fpirit of the troops infenfibly languiih in a diftant cli-
mate ; the naval and military force, a mighty effort which perhaps
can never be repeated, is filently confumed ; and every hour that is
Availed in negotiation, accultoms the enemy to contemplate and ex-
amine thofe hoftile terrors, which, on their firft appearance, he
<leemed irreiiftible. The formidable navy of Balilifcus purfued its
profperous navigation from the Thracian Bofphorus to the coaft of
Africa. He landed his troops at Cape Bona, or the promontoiy of
Mercury, about forty miles from Carthage The army of Hera-
■clius, and the fleet of Marcellinus, either joined or feconded the
Imperial lieutenant ; and the Vandals, who oppofed his progrels by
fea or land, were lucceffively vanquifhed ". If Balilifcus had feized
the moment of confternation, and boldly advanced to the capital,
Carthage mull have furrendered, and the kingdom of the Vandals
was extinguiihed. Genferic beheld the danger with firmnefs, and
eluded it with his veteran dexterity. He protefted, in the moft re-
fpeclful language, that he was ready to fubmit his perfon, and his
dominions, to the will of the emperor ; but he requefted a truce of
-five days to regulate the terms of his fubmifTion ; and it was univer-
lally believed, that his fecret liberality contributed to the fuccefs of
this public negociation. Inftead of obftinately refufing whatever in-

17 This promontory is forty miles from ss Theophanes (p. ico.) affirms that ma-
Carthage (Procop. 1. i. c. 6. p. 192.), and ny mips of the Vandals were funk. The aJTer-
twenty leagues from Sicily (Shaw's Travels, tion of Jornandes (de Succeflione Regn.), that
p. ?9-). Scipio landed farther in the bay, Bafilifcus attacked Carthage, mult be under-
at the fair promontory ; fee the animated Hood in a very qualified fenfe.
■defcription of Livy, xxix. a6, 27.

dulgence

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

479

diligence his enemy fo earneftly folicited, the guilty, or the credu- c
lous, Bafilifcus confented to the fatal truce ; and his imprudent fe- v

CHAP.

XXXVI.

curity feemed to proclaim, that he already confidercd himfelf as the
conqueror of Africa. During this Ihort interval, the wind became
favourable to the defigns of Genferic. He manned his largeft Hups
of war with the braveft of the Moors and Vandals ; and they towed
after them many large barks, filled with combuftible materials. In
the obfcurity of the night, thefe destructive veflels were impelled
againft the unguarded and unfufpecting fleet of the Romans, who
were awakened by the fenfe of their inflant danger. Their clofe
and crowded order affifted the progrefs of the fire, which was com—
municated with rapid and irrefiftible violence ; and the noife of the
wind, the crackling of the flames, the diflbnant crie& of the foldiers
and mariners, who could neither command, nor obey, increafed the
horror of the nocturnal tumult. Whilft they laboured to extricate
themfelves from the fire-fhips, and to fave at leaf! a part of the navy,
the gallies of Genferic affaulted them with temperate and difciplined
valour ; and many of the Romans, who efcaped the fury of the flames,
were deftroyed or taken by the victorious Vandals. Among the
events of that difaftrous night, the heroic, or rather defpcrate, cou-
rage of John, one of the principal officers of Bafilifcus, has refcued
his name from oblivion. When the lhip, which he had bravely
defended, was almoft confumed, he threw himfelf in his armour into
the fea, difdainfully rejected the efteem and pity of Gcnfo, the fen
of Genferic, who prefTed him to accept honourable quarter, and funk
under the waves ; exclaiming with his laft breath, that he would
never fall alive into the hands of thofe impious dogs. Actuated by
a far different fpirit, Bafilifcus, whofe flation was the moft remote
from danger, difgracefully fled in the beginning of the engagement^
returned to Conftantinople with the lofs of more than half of hi3
fleet and army, and flickered his guilty head in the fanctuary of St.

43o THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. Sophia, till his fifter, by her tears and entreaties, could obtain his
xxxvi. 1 9 J _

«- — * pardon from the indignant emperor. Heraclius effected his retreat

through trie defert ; Marcellinus retired to Sicily, where he was af-
faffmated, perhaps at the inftigation of Ricimer, by one of his own
captains ; and the king of the Vandals expreffed his furprife and fa-
tisfaction, that the Romans themfelves mould remove from the world
his moft formidable antagonifts 89. After the failure of this great ex-
pedition, Genferic again became the tyrant of the fea : the coafts of
Italy, Greece, and Alia, were again expofed to his revenge and
avarice ; Tripoli and Sardinia returned to his obedience ; he added
A. D. 477. Sicily to the number of his provinces ; and, before he died, in the
fulnefs of years and of glory, he beheld the final extinction of the
empire of the Weft 9°.
Conquers of During his long and active reign, the African monarch had ftu-
in^SpaVifand dioufly cultivated the friendlhip of the Barbarians of Europe, whofe
A^D. 462— arms he might employ in a feafonable and effectual diverfion againft
472- the two empires. After the death of Attila, he renewed his alliance

with the Vifigoths of Gaul ; and the fons of the elder Theodoric,
who fucceflively reigned over that warlike nation, were eafily per-
fuaded, by the fenfe of intereft, to forget the cruel affront which
Genferic had inflicted on their fifter The death of the emperor
Majorian delivered Theodoric the fecond from the reftraint of fear, and
perhaps of honour ; he violated his recent treaty with the Romans ;

Damafcius in Vit. Ifidor. apud Phot. p. 497.) has made a judicious obfervation on

p. 1048. It will appear, by comparing the the failure of thefe great naval armaments,
three Ihort chronicles of the times, that Mar- s« Jornandes is our beft guide through the

cellinus had fought near Carthage, and was reigns of Theodoric II. and Euric (de Rebus

killed in Sicily. Geticis, c. 44, 45, 46, 47. p. 675 — 681.).

90 For the African war, fee Procopius Idatius ends too foon, and Ifidore is too
(de Bell. Vaudal. 1. i. c. 6. p. 191, 192, fparing cf the information which he might
193.), Theophanes (p. 99, 100, 101.), Ce- have given on the affairs of Spain. The
drenus (p. 349, 350.), and Zonaras (torn. ii. events that relate to Gaul are laborioufly il-
1. xiv. p. 50, 51.). Montefquieu (Confide- luftrated in the third book of the Abbe Du-
rations fur la Grandeur, Sec. c. xx. torn. iii. bos, Hill. Critique, torn. i. p. 424—620.

and

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

481

and the ample territory of Narbonne, which he firmly united to his CXxXviP'

dominions, became the immediate reward of his perfidy. The felfilh ' , — - '

policy of Ricimer encouraged him to invade the provinces which were
in the poffefTion of iEgidius, his rival ; but the a&ive count, by the
defence of Aries, and the victory of Orleans, faved Gaul, and
checked, during his lifetime, the progrefs of the Vifigoths. Their
ambition was foon rekindled ; and the defign of extinguifhing the
Roman empire in Spain and Gaul, was conceived, and almoft com-
pleted, in the reign of Euric, who afTafFinated his brother Theodoric,
and difplayed, with a more favage temper, fuperior abilities, both in
peace and war. He paffed the Pyrenees at the head of a numerous
army, fubdued the cities of Saragofla and Pampeluna, vanquished
in battle the martial nobles of the Tarragonefe province, carried his
victorious arms into the heart of Lufitania, and permitted the Suevi
to hold the kingdom of Gallicia under the Gothic monarchy of
Spain 9\ The efforts of Euric were not lefs vigorous, or lefs fuc-
cefsful, in Gaul ; and throughout the country that extends from
the Pyrenees to the Rhone and the Loire, Berry, and Auvergne,
were the only cities, or diocefes, which refufed to acknowledge him
as their mafter 9\ In the defence of Clermont, their principal town,
the inhabitants of Auvergne fuftained, with inflexible refolution, the
miferies of war, peftilence, and famine ; and the Vifigoths, relin-
quifhing the fruitlefs fiege, fufpended the hopes of that important
conqueft. The youth of the province were animated by the heroic,
and almoft incredible, valour of Ecdicius, the fon of the emperor
Avitus 9+, who made a defperate fally with only eighteen horfemen,

91 See Mariana, Hift. Hifpan. torn. i. the fate of his country. See I. v. epift. I.
I. v. c. 5. p. 162. 5- 9, &c.

. ,~ - • • 1 -o „r 94 Sidonius, 1. iii. epift. p. 6c— 63

91 An imperfect, but original, picture of _ „ ... r . 5 ^ .. 5 '

r 6 r Greg. Turon. J. 11. c. 24. in torn. 11. p. 174.

Gaul, more eipecially of Auvergne, isihewn . , jot „ , .. _ ✓ „ , p ... .

' r 3 6 Jornanaes, c. 45. p. 675. Perhaps Ecdicius

by Sidonius; who, as a fenator, and after- was onjy tne fon-in-law of Avitus, his wife's
wards as a bifhop, was deeply interefted in fon by another hulhaod.

VolJII. 2 0^ toldlr

THE DECLINE AND FALL

boldly attacked the Gothic army, and, after maintaining a flying
fkirmifh, retired fafe and victorious within the walls of Clermont.
His charity was equal to his courage : in a time of extreme fcarcity,
four thoufand poor were fed at his expence ; and his private in-
fluence levied an army of Burgundians for the deliverance of Au-
vcrgne. From his virtues alone the faithful citizens of Gaul derived
any hopes of fafety or freedom ; and even fuch virtues were infuffi-
cient to avert the impending ruin of their country, fince they were
anxious to learn from his authority and example, whether they mould
prefer the alternative of exile, or fervitude °\ The public confidence
was loft ; the refources of the ftate were exhaufted j and the Gauls
had too much rcafon to believe, that Anthemius, who reigned ir>
Italy, was incapable of protecting his diftrefled fubjecls beyond the
Alps. . The feeble emperor could only procure for their defence the
fervice of twelve thoufand Britifh auxiliaries. Riothamus, one of
the independent kings, or chieftains, of the ifland, was perfuaded to
tranfport his troops to the continent of Gaul : he failed up the Loire,
and eftabliflied his quarters in Berry, where the people complained
of thefe oppreffive allies, till they were deftroyed, or dilperfed, by
the arms of the Vifigoths s6.

One of the laft acts of jurifdiction, which the Roman fenate exer-
cifed over their fubjects of Gaul, was the trial and condemnation of
Arvandus, the Praetorian prefect. Sidonius, who rejoices that he
lived under a reign in which he might pity and afTift a ftate-crimi-
nal, has exprefTed, with tendernefs and freedom, the faults of his.

95 Si nullae a republica vires, nulla praefi- 96 The hiftory of thefe Britons may be

dia, fi nulla;, quantum rumor eft, Anthemii traced in Jornandes (c. 45. p. 678.), Sido-

principisopes>atuit, te auftore, nobilitas feu nius P' ePiftoL 9- P-73» 74-)' and G'e-

,. . ,. ... , gory of Tours (1. ii. c. 18. in torn. ii. p.

patnam dimittere leu capalos (biaon. I. it. & ' „ , . > . . , r

. '70,r oidomus (wno ftyles thefe mercenary

epift. 1. p. 33.). The laft words (Sirmond troQps argutos> tumu!tuofoS) vir.

Not. p. 25.) may likewife denote the clerical tutCj numero, contubernio, contumaces) ad-
tonfure, which was indeed the choice of Si- drefles their general in a tone of friendihip
donius himfelf. and familiarity.

indifcreet

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

4*3

indifcreet and unfortunate friend 97 . From the perils which he had c H P.

efcaped, Arvandus imbibed confidence rather than wifdom ; and \ „ — ->

fiich was the various, though uniform, imprudence of his behaviour,
that his profperity mud appear much more furprifing than his down-
fal. The fecond prefecture, which he obtained within the term of
five years, abolifhed the merit and popularity of his preceding ad-
miniftration. His eafy temper was corrupted by flattery, and ex-
alperated by oppofition ; he was forced to fatisfy his importunate
creditors with the fpoils of the province ; his capricious infolence
offended the nobles of Gaul, and he funk under the weight of the
public hatred. The mandate of his difgrace fummoned him to juftify
his conduct before the fenate ; and he paffed the fea of Tufcany with
a favourable wind, the prefage, as he vainly imagined, of his future
fortunes. A decent refpect was ftill obferved for the Prafefforian
rank ; and on his arrival at Rome, Arvandus was committed to the
hofpitality, rather than to the cuftody, of Flavius Afellus, the count
of the facred largelTes, who refided in the Capitol He was eagerly
purfued by his accufers, the four deputies of Gaul, who were al!
diftinguifhed by their birth, their dignities, or their eloquence. In
the name of a great province, and according to the forms of Roman
iurifprudence, they inftituted a civil and criminal action, requiring
fuch reftitution as might compenfate the lofles of individuals, and
fitch punifhment as might fatisfy the juftice of the ftate. Their
charges of corrupt oppreflion were numerous and weighty ; but they
placed their fecret dependence on a letter, which they had intercepted,
and which they could prove, by the evidence of his fecretary, to

ST See Sidoniin, I. i. epift. 7. p. 15—20, 98 When the Capitol ceafed to be a temple,

with Sirmond's notes. This letter does ho- it was appropriated to the ufe of the civrl

nour to his heart, as well as to his under- magiftrate ; and it ftill the reftdence of the

ftanding. The profe of Sidonius, however Roman fenator. The jewellers, Stc. might

vitiated by a falfe and affe&ed tafte, is much be allowed to expofe their precious wares in

iuperior to his irdipid verfes, the porticoes.

3 Qj2 have

THE DECLINE AND FALL

have been dictated by Arvandus himfclf. The author of this letter
feemed to diffuade the king of the Goths from a peace with the Greek
emperor : he fuggefted the attack of the Britons on the Loire ; and
he recommended a divifion of Gaul, according to the law of nations,
between the Vifigoths and the Burgundians Thefe pernicious-
fchemes, which a friend could only palliate by the reproaches of
vanity and indifcretion, wrere fufceptible of a treafonable interpreta-
tion ; and the deputies had artfully refolved, not to produce their
moft formidable weapons till the decifive moment of the contefl.
But their intentions were difcovered by the zeal of Sidonius. He
immediately apprifed the unfufpecting criminal of his danger ; and
fincerely lamented, without any mixture of anger, the haughty pre-
fumption of Arvandus, who rejected, and even refented, the falutary
advice of his friends. Ignorant of his real fituation, Arvanduj
mewed himfelf in the Capitol in the white robe of a candidate, ac-
cepted indifcriminate falutations and offers of fervice, examined
the fhops of the merchants, the filks and gems, fometimes with the
indifference of a fpeetator, and fometimes with the attention of a
purchafer ; and complained of the times, of the fenate, of the prince;
and of the delays of juftice. His complaints were foon removed:
An early day was fixed for his trial ; and Arvandus. appeared, with
his accufers, before a numerous affembly of the Roman fenate. The
mournful garb, which they affected, excited the companion of the
judges, who were fcandalized by the gay and fplendid drefs of their
adverfary ; and when the prefect Arvandus, with the firft of the
Gallic deputies, were directed to take their places on the fenatorial
benches, the fame contraft of pride and modefty was obferved in
their behaviour. In this memorable judgment, which prefented a
lively image of the old republic, the Gauls expofed, with force and

'9 Hxc ad regem Gothorum, charta vide- pugnari opportere demenftrans, cum Bur-
batur emitti, pacem cum Graeco Imperatore gundionibus jure gentium Gallias dividi do
diffuadens, Britannos fuper Ligerim fitos im- bere confirm&ns.

8 freedom,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 48/

freedom, the grievances of the province ; and as foon as the minds 9** ^.Tp*"

AAA Vlt-

of the audience were fufficiently inflamed, they recited the fatal ^— — — *
epiftle. The obftinacy of Arvandus was founded on the ftrange fup-
pofition, that a fubject could not be convicted of treafon, unlefs he
had actually confpired to affume the purple. As the paper was readr
he repeatedly, and with a loud voice, acknowledged it for his ge-
nuine compofition ; and his aftonifhment was equal to his difmay,
when the unanimous voice of the fenate declared him guilty of a ca-
pital offence. By their decree, he was degraded from the rank of a
prsefect to the obfcure condition of a plebeian, and ignominioufly
dragged by fervile hands to the public prifon. After a- fortnight's
adjournment, the fenate was again convened to pronounce the fen-
tence of his death : but while he expected, in the ifland of iEfcula—
pius, the expiration of the thirty days allowed by an ancient law tc
the vileft malefactors ,0°, his friends interpofed, the emperor Anthc-
mius relented, and the prsefect of Gaul obtained the milder punifh-
ment of exile and confiscations The faults of Arvandus might de-
ferve companion ; but the impunity of Seronatus accufed the jufticet
of the republic, till he was condemned, and executed, on the com-
plaint of the people of Auvergne. That flagitious minifter, the
Catiline of his age and country, held a fecret correfpondence with
the Viligoths, to betray the province which he oppreffed : his in-
duftry was continually exercifed in the difcovery of new taxes and
obfolete offences ; and his extravagant vices would have infpired
contempt^ if they had not excited fear and abhorrence ,0,«

Such criminals were not beyond the reach of juftice ; but, what- Difcord of-

ever might be the guilt of Ricimer, that powerful Barbarian was able uri Ricimtr,,

A. D. 471-^

100 Senatufccnfultum Tiberiamun (Sirmond epift. I. p. 33. ; 1. v. epift. 13. p. 143. ;
Not. p. 17.) ; but that law allowed only ten 1. vii. epift. 7. p. 185. He execrates the
days between the fentence and execution : crimes, and applauds the punifhment, of
the remaining twenty were added in the reign Seronatus, perhaps with the indignation of a
fcf Theodofius. virtuous citizen, perhaps with the refcntmenr

lQi Catilina feculi ncltri. Sidonius, 1. ii. of a perfonal enemy.

486

THE DECLINE AND FALL

to contend or to negociate with the prince, whofe alliance he had
condefcended to accept. The peaceful and profperous reign which
Anthemius had promifed to the Weft, was foon clouded by misfor-
tune and difcord. Ricimer, apprehenfive, or impatient, of a fupe-
rior, retired from Rome, and fixed his refidence at Milan ; an ad-
vantageous fituation, either to invite, or to repel, the warlike tribes
that were feated between the Alps and the Danube wa. Italy was gra-
dually divided into two independent and holtile kingdoms ; and the
nobles of Liguria, who trembled at the near approach of a civil War,
■fell proftrate at the feet of the patrician, and conjured him to fpare
their unhappy country. " For my own part," replied Ricimer, in
a tone of infolent moderation, " I am ftill inclined to embrace the
*i friendlhip of the Galatian 103 ; but who will undertake to appeafe
" his anger, or to mitigate the pride, which always rifes in propor-
" tion to our fubmiilion ?" They informed him, that Epiphanius,
biihop of Pavia united the wifdom of the ferpent with the inno-
cence of the dove ; and appeared confident, that the eloquence of
fuch an ambafiador mull prevail againft the ftrongeft oppofition,
either of intereft or paffion. Their recommendation was approved ;
and Epiphanius, afTuming the benevolent office of mediation, pro-
ceeded without delay to Rome, where he was received with the ho-
nours due to his merit and reputation. The oration of a biihop in
favour of peace, may be eafily fuppofed : he argued, that, in all pof-

,C1 Ricimer, under the reign of Anthe-
mius, defeated and flew in battle Beoi.gor,
king of the Alani (Jornandcs, c. 45. p. 67S.).
•His filler had married the king of the Bur-
gundians, and he maintained an intimate
connection with the Suevic colony eftablimed
in Pannonia andNoricum.

"°3 Galatam concitatum. Sirmond (in
his notes to Ennodiu?) applies this appella-
tion to Anthemius himfelf. The emperor
was probably born in the province of Gala-
tia, whole inhabitants, the Gallo-Grecians,

were fuppofed to unite the vices of a favage,
and a corrupted, people.

,0+ Epiphanius was thirty years biihop of
Pavia (A. D. 467 — 497 ; fee Tillemont,
Mem. Ecclef. torn. xvi. p. 7^8.). His name
and adtions would have been unknown to
pofterity, if Ennodius, one of his fuccelibrs,
had not written his life (Sirmond, Opera,
torn. i. 1647 — 1692.); in which herepre-'
fents him as one of the g.-cateft characters of
the age.

fible

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 4S7

fible circumftances, the fonnvenefs of injuries muft be an act of C H A p.

' b J , XXXVI.
mercy, or magnanimity, or prudence ; and he ferioufly admoniilied '

the emperor to avoid a conteft with a fierce Barbarian, which might

be fatal to himfelf, and muft be ruinous to his dominions. Anthe-

mius acknowledged the truth of his maxims ; but he deeply felt,

with grief and indignation, the behaviour of Ricimer ; and his paf-

fion gave eloquence and energy to his difcourfe. " What favours,"

he warmly exclaimed, " have we refufed to this ungrateful man I

What provocations have we not endured ? Regardlefs of the ma-

" jefty of the purple, I gave my daughter to a Goth ; I facrif.ced

" my own blood to the fafety of the republic. The liberality which

** ought to have fecured the eternal attachment of Ricimer, has ex-

u afperated him againft his benefactor. What wars has he not

" excited againft the empire ? How often has he inftigated and af-

" lifted the fury of hoftile nations ? Shall I now accept his perfidious

" friendfhip ? Can I hope that be will refpect the engagements of. a

" treaty, who has already violated the duties of a fon ?" But the

anger of Anthemius evaporated in thefe palTionate exclamations : he

infenfibly yielded to the propofals of Epiphanius ; and the bifhop

returned to his diocefe with jhe fatisfaction of reftoring the peace of*

Italy,, by a reconciliation ,os, of which the fincerity and continuance

might be reafonably fufpedted. The clemency of the emperor was

extorted from his weaknefs ; and Ricimer fufpended his ambitious

, cfefigns, till he h-ad fecretly prepared the engines, with which he

refolved to fubvert the throne of Anthemius. The mafk of peace

and moderation was then thrown afide. The army of Ricimer was

fortified by a numerous reinforcement of Burgundians and Oriental

Suevi ; he difclaimed all allegiance to the Greek emperor, marched

,os Ennodius (p. 1659 — 1664.) has re- pear, illuftrates fome curious pafiages in the
lated this embafTy of Epiphanius ; and his fail of the Wcilern empire,
narrative, verbofe and turgid as it muft ap-

1 from.

4$3

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXXVI.

Olybrius
emperor of
the Weft,
A. D. 472,
March 23.

from Milan to the gates of Rome, and fixing his camp on the bank*
of the Anio, impatiently expected the arrival of Olybrius, his Im-
perial candidate.

The fenator Olybrius, of the Anician family, might efteem him-
felf the lawful heir of the Weftern empire. He had married Pla-
cidia, the younger daughter of Valentinian, after lhe was reftored
by Genferic ; who ftill detained her fifter Eudoxia, as the wife, or
rather as the captive, of his fon. The king of the Vandals lup-
ported, by threats and felicitations, the fair pretenfions of his Roman
ally ; and afligned, as one of the motives of the war, the refufal of
•the fenate and people to acknowledge their lawful prince, and the
unworthy preference which they had given to a ftranger ,06. The
friendfhip of the public enemy might render Olybrius ftilJ more un-
popular to the Italians ; but when Ricimer meditated the ruin of the
emperor Anthemius, he tempted with the offer of a diadem the can4-
didate who <couk! juftify his rebellion by an illuftrious name, and a
royal alliance. The hufband of Placidia, who, like moll of his an-
cestors, had been invefted with the confular dignity, might have
continued to enjoy a fecure and fplendid fortune in the peaceful re-
sidence of Conftantinople ; nor does he appear to have been tor-
mented by fuch a genius, as cannot be amufed or occupied, unlefs
by the adminiftration of an empire. Yet Olybrius yielded to the
importunities of his friends, perhaps of his wife ; rafhly plunged
into the dangers and calamities of a civil war ; and, with the fecret
connivance of the emperor Leo, accepted the Italian purple, which
was beftowed, and refumed, at the capricious will of a Barbarian.
He landed without obftacle (for Genferic was malter of the lea)
either at Ravenna or the port of Oftia, and immediately proceeded

106 Pr'.fcus Excerpt. Legation, p. 74. the death of Mrjorian. Perhaps the conful-
Procopius de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. c. 6. p. 191. fhip of Olybrius (A. D. 464.) was beftowed
JLadoxia and her daughter were reftored after as a nuptial prefent.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

to the camp of Ricimer, where he was received as the fovereign of c ^ P.
the Weftern world 101 . ' — '

The patrician, who had extended his pofts from the Anio to the Sack of
Milvian bridge, already poflefled two quarters of Rome, the Vati- deaTh'of "
can and the Janiculum, which are feparated by the Tyber from the ^"d!™"?
reft of the city'08; and it may be conjectured, that an affembly of July 11 •
feceding fenators imitated, in the choice of Olybrius, the forms of a
legal election. But the body of the fenate and people firmly adhered
to the caufe of Anthemius ; and the more effectual fuppoit of a Gothic
army enabled him to prolong his reign, and the public diftrefs, by
a refiftance of three months, which produced the concomitant evils
of famine and peftilence. At length, Ricimer made a furious aflault
on the bridge of Hadrian, or St. Angelo ; and the narrow pafs was
defended with equal valour by the Goths, till the death of Gilimer
their leader. The victorious troops breaking down every barrier,
rufhed with irrefiftible violence into the heart of the city, and Rome
(if we may ufe the language of a contemporary Pope) was fubverted
by the civil fury of Anthemius and Ricimer ,C9. The unfortunate
Anthemius was dragged from his concealment, and inhumanly maf-
lacred by the command of his fon-in-law; who thus added a third,

107 The hoftile appearance of Olybrius is regions, or parifhes, of Rome, depended on
fixed (notwithftanding the opinion of Pagi) the church of St. Peter. See Nardini Roma
by the duration of his reign. The fecret Antica, p. 67. It would require a tedious
connivance of Leo is acknowledged by Theo- diflertation to mark the circumftances, in
phanes, and the Pafchal Chronicle. We are which I am declined to depart from the to-
ignorant of his motives ; but, in this obfcure pography of that learned Roman.

period, our ignorance extends to the mod 109 Nuper Anthemii et Ricimeris civili

public and important fads. furore fubverfa ell. Gelafius in Epift. ad

108 Of the fourteen regions, or quarters, Andromach. apud Baron. A. D. 496. N°4Z.
into which Rome was divided by Augufhis, Sigonius (torn. i. 1. xiv. de Occidental Im-
only one, the Janiculum, lay on the Tufcan perio, p. 542, 543.) and Muratori (Annali
fide of the Tyber. But, in the fifth century, d'ltalia, torn. iv. p. 308, 309.), with the aid
the Vatican fuburb formed a confiderable of a lefs imperfect MS. of the Hiftoria Mif-
city;. and in the ecclcfiaftical diltribution, ceria, have Ulultrated this dark and bloody
which had been recently made by Simpli- tranfaction.

cius, the reigning pope, t--wo of the /even

Vol. IIL 3 R or

490

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XXXVI.

Death of
Ricimer,
Auguil 20,

and of Oly-

brius,

O&ober 23.

Julius Nepos
and Glyce-
rius emperors
of the Weft,
A. D. 472—
475-

or perhaps a fourth, emperor to the number of his victims. The
foldiers, who united the rage of factious citizens with the favage
manners of Barbarians, were indulged, without controul, in the li-
cence of rapine and murder : the crowd of flaves and plebeians, who
were unconcerned in the event, could only gain by the indifcriminate
pillage ; and the face of the city exhibited the ftrange contraft of
ftern cruelty, and diflblute intemperance ,I0. Forty days after this
calamitous event, the fubjecT:, not of glory, but of guilt, Italy was
delivered, by a painful difeafe, from the tyrant Ricimer, who be-
queathed the command of his army to his nephew Gundobald, one
of the princes of the Burgundians. In the fame year, all the prin-
cipal actors in this great revolution, were removed from the ftage ;
and the whole reign of Olybrius, whofe death does not betray any
fymptoms of violence, is included within the term of feven months.
He left one daughter, the offspring of his marriage with Placidia ;
and the family of the great Theodofius, tranfplanted from Spain to
Conftantinople, was propagated in the female line as far as the eighth
generation ,".

Whilft the vacant throne of Italy was abandoned to lawlefs Bar-
barians the election of a new colleague was ferioufly agitated in
the council of Leo. The emprefs Verina, ftudious to promote the
greatnefs of her own family, had married one of her nieces to Julius
Nepos, who fucceeded his uncle Marcellinus in the fovereignty of

1,0 Such had been the, fxva. ac deformis
urbe tota facies, when Rome was aftaulted
and ftormed by the troops of Vefpafian (fee
Tacit. Hift. iii. 82, 83.) ; and every caufe of
mifchief had fince acquired much additional
energy. The revolution of ages may bring
round the fame calamities ; but ages may re-
volve, without producing a Tacitus to defcribe
them.

111 SeeDucange, Familiar Byzantin. p. 74,
75. Areobindus, who appears to have mar-
ried the niece of the emperor Jullinian, was

the eighth defcendant of the elder Theodo-
fius.

1,2 The laft revolutions of the Weftern
empire are faintly marked in Theophanes
(p. 102.), Jornandes (c. 4$. p. 679.), the
Chronicle of Marcellinus, and the Fragments
of an anonymous writer, published by Vale-
fius at the end of Ammianus (p. 716, 717.)'.
If Photius had not been fo wretchedly con-
cife, we mould derive much information
fiom the contemporary hiftories of Malchus
andCandidus. See his Extracts, p. 172 — 179,

Dalmatia,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

49 1

XXXVI.

Dalmatia, a more folic! porTeflion than the title which he -was per- CVIJY^ ,p*
fuaded to accept, of Emperor of the Weft. But the meafures of
the Byzantine court were fo languid and irrefolutc, that many-
months elapfed after the death of Anthemius, and even of Qlybrius,
before their deftined fucceflbr could mew himfelf^ with a refpectable
force, to his Italian fubjects. During that interval, Glycerius, an
obfeure foldier, was invefted with the purple by his patron Gundo-
bald ; but the Burgundian prince was unable, or unwilling, to nip-
port his nomination by a civil war : the purfuits of domertic ambi-
tion recalled him beyond the Alps"3, and his client was permitted
to exchange the Roman fceptre for the bifhopric of Salona. After
extinguishing fuch a competitor, the emperor Nepos was acknow-
ledged by the fenate, by the Italians, and by the provincials of
Gaul; his moral virtues, and military talents, were loudly celebrated;
and thofe who derived any private benefit from his government,
announced, in prophetic ftrains, the reftoration of the public feli-
city "*. Their hopes (if fuch hopes had been entertained) were
confounded within the term of a fingle year ; and the treaty of
peace, which ceded Auvergne to the Vifigoths, is the only event of
his fhort and inglorious reign. The moft faithful fubjecls of Gaul
were facrificed, by the Italian emperor, to the hope of domeftic
fecurity "y ; but his repofe was foon invaded by a furious fedition of
the Barbarian confederates, who, under the command of Oreftes,
their general, were in full march from Rome to Ravenna. Nepos

113 See Greg. Turon. 1. ii. c. 28. in torn, mifed, deceflbris Anthemei fidem abfolvit.

il. p. 175. Dubos, Hid. Critique, torn. i. Seel. viii. ep. 7. p. 224.

p. 613. By the murder, or death, of his two 115 Epiphanius was fent ambaflador from

brothers, Gundobald acquired the fole pof- Nepos to the Vifigoths, for the purpofe of

feflion of the kingdom of Burgundy, whofe afcertaining the fines Imperii Italici (Enno-

ruin was haftened by their difcord. dius in Sirmond, torn. i. p. 1665 — 1669.).

"* Julius Nepos armis pariter fummus His pathetic difcourfe concealed the difgrace-

Auguftus ac moribus. Sidonius, 1. v. ep. 16. ful fecret, which foon excited the jult and

p. 146. Nepos had given to Ecdicius the bitter complaints of the bifhop of Cler-

title of Patrician, which Anthemius had pro- mont.

3 R 2 trembled

492

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Cyv\A F' trembled at their approach ; and, inftead of placing a juft confidence

— v ' in the flrcngth of Ravenna, he haftily efcaped to his fhips, and

retired to his Dalmatian principality, on the oppofite coaft of the
Hadriatic. By this fhameful abdication, he protracted his life about
five years, in a very ambiguous ftate, between an emperor and an
exile, till he was aflafTinated at Salona by the ungrateful Glycerius,
who was tranflated, perhaps as the reward of his crime, to the arch-
bifhopric of Milan "6.
The patrician The nations, who had aflerted their independence after the death
ATX475. °f Attila, were eftablifhed, by the right of poffemon or conqueft,
in the boundlefs countries to the north of the Danube ; or in the
Roman provinces between the river and the Alps. But the braveft
of their youth enlifted in the army of confederates, who formed the
defence and the terror of Italy "7 ; and in this promifcuous multitude,
the names of the Heruli, the Scyrri, the Alani, the Turcilingi, and
the Rugians, appear to have predominated. The example of thefe
warriors was imitated by Oreftes "8, the fon of Tatullus, and the
father of the laft Roman emperor of the Weft. Oreftes, who has
been already mentioned in this hiftory, had never deferted his coun-
try. His birth and fortunes rendered him one of the moft illuftrious
fubjecls of Pannonia. When that province was ceded to the Huns,,
he entered into the fervice of Attila, his lawful fovereign, obtained
the office of his fecretary, and was repeatedly fent ambafTador to
Conftantinople^ to reprefent the perfon, and fignify the commands,,.

116 Malchus, apod Phot. p. 172. Ennod. light of a fir anger, and. a. tixg, who invaded
Epigram, lxxxii. in Sirmond Oper. torn. i.'p. Italy with an army of foreigners, his native
1879. Some doubt may however be raifed fubjecls.

on the identity of the emperor and the arch- 1,8 Oreftes, qui eo tempore quando Attila

biihop. ad Italiam venit, fe illi junxit, etejus netarius

117 Our knowledge of thefe mercenaries, faftus fuerat. Anonym. Vatef. p. 716. He
who fubverted the Weftern empire, is derived is miftaken in the date; but we may credit
from Procopius (de Bell. Gothico, 1. i. c. i. his alTertion, that the fecretary of Attila was

p. 308.). The popular opinion, and the re- the father of Auguftulus.
cent hiftorians, reprefent Odoacerin the falfe

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

493

him to his freedom ; and Oreftes might honourably refufc either to ' '

follow the fons of Attila into the Scythian defert, or to obey the
Qftrogoths, who had ufurped the dominion of Pannonia. He pre-
ferred the fervice of the Italian princes, the fucceflbrs of Valentinian ;
and, as he poffefled the qualifications of courage, induftry, and expe-
rience, he advanced with rapid fteps in the military profeflion, til'r
he was elevated, by the favour of Nepos himfelf, to the dignities of
patrician, and mafter-general of the troops. Thefe troops had been
long: accuftomed to reverence the character and authority of Oreftes,
who affected their manners, converfed with them in their own lan-
guage, and was intimately connected with their national chieftains,
by long habits of familiarity and friendihip. At his folicitation they-
rofe in arms againft the obfeure Greek, who prefumcd to claim
their obedience ; and when Oreftes, from fomc fecret motive, de-
clined the purple, they confented, with the fame facility,, to acknow-

ledge his fon Auguftulus, as the emperor of the Weft. By the His fon Av

tiHus, th«
emperor

abdication of Nepos, Oreftes had now attained the fummit of his

ambitious hopes ; but he foon difcovered, before the end of the firft ^ ^e W|*>"
year, that the leflbns of perjury and ingratitude, which, a rebel muft
inculcate, wilL be retorted againft himfelf; and. that the precarious
fovereign of Italy was only permitted to chufer whether he would
be the (lave, or the victim, of his Barbarian mercenaries. The
dangerous alliance of thefe ftrangers, had oppreffed and infulted the
laft remains of Roman freedom and dignity. At each revolution,,
their pay and privileges- were augmented; but their infolence in- -
creafed in a ftill more extravagant degree ; they envied the fortune
of their brethren in Gaul, Spain,, and Africa, whofe victorious arms
had acquired an independent and perpetual inheritance ; and they
infifted on their peremptory demand, that a third part of the lands
of Italy fhould be immediately divided among them. Oreftes, with

a fpirit,

494

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CxxxviP a ^Pn'1^ tvhich, in another fituation, might be entitled to our efteem,
■ v - ' chofe rather to encounter the rage of an armed multitude, than to
fubfcribe the ruin of an innocent people. He rejected the audacious
demand ; and his refufal was favourable to the ambition of Odoacer;
a bold Barbarian, who allured his fellow-foldicrs, that, if they dared
to aflbciate under his command, they might foon extort the juftice
which had been 'denied to their dutiful petitions. From all the
camps and garrifons of Italy, the confederates, actuated by the fame
refentment and the fame hopes, impatiently flocked to the ftandard
of this popular leader ; and the unfortunate patrician, overwhelmed
by the torrent, haftily retreated to the ftrong city of Pavia, the epif-
copal feat of the holy Epiphanites. Pavia was immediately be-
fieged, the fortifications were ftormed, the town was pillaged ; and
although the bifhop might labour, with much zeal and fome fuc-
cefs, to fave the property of the church, and the chaftity of female
captives, the tumult could only be appeafed by the execution of
Oreftes"9. His brother Paul was flain in an action near Ravenna ;
and the helplefs Auguftulus, who could no longer command the re-
fpect, was reduced to implore the clemency, of Odoacer.

Odoacer That fuccefsful Barbarian was the fon of Edecon: who, in fome

king of Italy,

A. D. 476— remarkable tranlactions, particularly defcribed in a preceding chapter,
had been the colleague of Oreftes himfelf. The honour of an am-
baflador fhould be exempt from fufpieion; and Edecon had liftened
to a confpiracy againft the life of his fovereign. But this apparent
guilt was expiated by his merit or repentance : his rank was eminent
and confpicuous ; he enjoyed the favour of Attila ; and the troops
under his command, who guarded, in their turn, the royal village,
confifted of a tribe of Scyrri, his immediate and hereditary fubje&s.

"9 See Ennodius (in Vit. Epiphan. Sir- may doubt whether the devil actually coji-
jnond, torn. i. p. i6Cg, 1670.). He adds weight trived the fiege of Pavia, to diflrcfs the bifliop
to the narrative of Procopius, though we and his flock. »

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

In the revolt of the nations, they ftill adhered to the Huns ; and,
more than twelve years afterwards, the name of Edccon is honourably
mentioned, in their unequal conteft with the Oflrogoths ; which
was terminated, after two bloody battles, by the defeat and difper-
fion of the Scyrri Their gallant leader, who did not furvive
this national calamity, left two fons, Onulf and Odoacer, to ftrug-
gle with adverfity, and to maintain as they might, by rapine or
lervice, the faithful followers oftheir exile. Onulf directed his fteps
towards Conftantinople, where he fullied, by the aflaffination of a
generous benefactor, the fame which he had acquired in arms. His
brother Odoacer led a wandering life among the Barbarians of No-
ricum, with a mind and a fortune fuited to the moft defperate ad-
ventures ; and when he had fixed his choice, he pioufly vifited the
cell of Severinus, the popular faint of the country, to folicit his
approbation and blefling. The lownefs of the door would not ad-
mit the lofty ftature of Odoacer : he was obliged to ftoop ; but' in
that humble attitude the faint could difcern the fymptoms of his
future greatnefs ; and addreffing him in a prophetic tone, " Purfue,r
(faid he) " your defign ; proceed to Italy ; you will foon caft away
" this coarfe garment of fkins; and your wealth will be adequate
" to the liberality of your mind1"." The Barbarian, whofe daring
fpirit accepted and ratified the prediction, was admitted into the fervice
of the Weftern empire, and foon obtained an honourable rank in the
guards. His manners were gradually polimed, his military fkill was

110 Jornandes, c. 53, 54. p. 692—695. pellibus coopertis : led multis rito plurima'
M. de Buat (Hift. des Peuples de l'Europe, largicurus. Anonym. Valef. p. 717. Her
torn. viii. p. 221 — 228.) has clearly explained quotes the life of St. Severinus, which is
the origin and adventures of Odoacer. Iam extant, and contains much unknown and
almoft inclined to believe, that he was the valuable hiftory ; it was compofcd by his
Came who pillaged Angers, and commanded difciple Eugippius (A. D. 511.), thirty years
a fleet of Snxon pirates on the ocean. Greg, after his deith. See Tillemont, Mem. Ec-
Turon. 1. ii. c. 18. in torn. ii. p. 170. clef. torn. xvi. p. 168- — 181.

111 V'ade ad Italiam, vade viiiffimis nunc

improved,

496

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H A P. Improved, and the confederates of Italy would not have elected him
^ w - 'for their general, unlefs the exploits of Odoacer had eftablifhed a
high opinion of his courage and capacity **\ Their military accla-
mations faluted him with the title of king : but he abftained, during
his whole reign, from the ufe of the purple and diadem ,23, left he
mould offend thofe princes, whofe fubje&s, by their accidental mix-
ture, had formed the victorious army, which time and policy might
infenfibly unite into a great nation.
Extinction of Royalty was familiar to the Barbarians, and the fubmiflive people
empire, e™ °f ^ta^7 was prepared to obey, without a murmur, the authority
A D 479' °r w^ich he fhould condcfcend to exercife as the vicegerent of the
emperor of the Weft. But Odoacer had refolved to abolifh that
ufelefs and expenfive office ; and fuch is the weight of antique pre-
judice, that it required fome boldnefs and penetration to difcover
the extreme facility of the enterprife. The unfortunate Auguftulus
was made the inftrument of his own difgrace : he fignified his re-
signation to the fenate ; and that aflembly, in their laft act of obe-
dience to a Roman prince, ftill affected the fpirit of freedom, and
the forms of the conftitution. An epiftle was addreffed, by their
unanimous decree, to the emperor Zeno, the fon-in-law and foc-
ceffor of Leo ; who had lately been reftored, after a fhort rebellion,
to the Byzantine throne. They folemnly " difclaim the necefiity,
" or even the wifti, of continuing any longer the Imperial fuc-
" ceflion in Italy ; fince, in their opinion, the majefty of a fole
** monarch is fufficient to pervade and protect, at the fame time,
** both the Eaft and the Weft. In their own name, and in the name

111 Theophanes, who calls him a Goth, 113 Nomen regis Odoacer aflumpfit, cum

.a^rms, that he was educated, nurfed (r>a$ l - tamen neque purpura nec regalibus uteretur

t-j ), in Italy (p. 102.), and as this Itrong ex- infignibus. Cafliodor. in Chron. A. D. 476.

prefiion will not bear a literal interpretation, He feems to have affumed th« abftradt title of

it muft be explained by long fervice in the a king, without applyingit to any particular

• Imperial guards. nation or country.

" of

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

497

u
«

41 of the people, they confent that the feat of univerfal empire mall Cx5XyjP'
" be transferred from Rome to Conftantinople ; and they bafely <-
renounce the right of chufing their mafter, the only veftige that
yet remained of the authority which had given laws to the world.
The republic (they repeat that name without a blufh) might
fafely confide in the civil and military virtues of Odoacer ; and
they humbly requeft, that the emperor would invert him with the
title of Patrician, and the administration of the diocefe of Italy."
The deputies of the fenate were received at Conftantinople with
fome marks of difpleafure and indignation ; and when they were
admitted to the audience of Zeno, he fternly reproached them with
their treatment of the two emperors, Anthemius and Nepos, whom
the Eaft had fucceffively granted to the prayers of Italy. " The firft"
(continued he) " you have murdered ; the fecond you have expelled ;
" but the fecond is {till alive, and whilft he lives he is your lawful
xt fovereign." But the prudent Zeno foon deferted the hopelefs
caufe of his abdicated colleague. His vanity was gratified by the
title of fole emperor, and by the ftatues erected to his honour in
the feveral quarters of Rome ; he entertained a friendly, though am-
biguous, correfpondence with the patrician Odoacer; and he grate-
fully accepted the Imperial enfigns, the facred ornaments of the
ihrone and palace, which the Barbarian was not unwilling to re-
move from the fight of the people"1*.

In the fpace of twenty years fince the death of V alentinian, nine Auguftutos
emperors had fucceffively difapp eared ; and the fon of Oreftes, a w theLicul-
youth recommended only by his beauty, would be the leaft entitled lan Vllla"
to the notice of pofterity, if his reign, which was marked by the
extinction of the Roman empire in the Weft, did not leave a me-

,1+ Malchus, whofe lofs excites our regret, Zeno. The anonymous fragment (p. 717.),
haspreferved (in Excerpt. Legat. p. 93.) this and the extract from Candidus (apud Phot,
extraordinary embany from the fenate to p. 176.), are likewife of fome ufe.

V<>L- 3 S morablc

498

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP* m0rable iEra in the hiftory of mankind115. The patrician Oreftes
» . had married the daughter of Count Romulus, of Petovio, in Noricum:
the name of Augujlus, notwithftanding the jealoufy of power, was
known at Aquileia as a familiar furname ; and the appellations of
the two great founders, of the city, and, of the monarchy, were thus
ftrangely united in the laft of their fuccelTors ,16. The fon of Oreftes
affumed and difgraced the names of Romulus Auguftus ; but the
firft was corrupted into Momyllus, by the Greeks, and the Jecond
has been changed by the Latins into the contemptible diminutive
Auguftulus. The life, of this incffenfive youth was ipared by the
generous clemency of Odoacer ; who difmhTed him, with his whole
family, from the Imperial palace, fixed his annual allowance at fix
thouland pieces of gold, and afiigned the caftle of Lucullus, in Cam-
pania, for the place of his exile or retirement ,I7. As loon as the
Romans breathed from the toils of the Punic war, they were at-
tracted by the beauties and the pleafures of Campania ; and the
country-houfe of the elder Scipio at Liternum, exhibited a lading
model of their ruftic fimplicity ,1S. The delicious mores of the bay

"s The precife year in which the Weftern land, has been communicated to a whole na-

empire was extinguilhed, is not pofitively af- tion.

cert.iined. The vulgar a?ra of A. D. 476, 117 Ingrediens autem Ravennam depofuit

appears to have the fan£tion of authentic chro- Auguftulum de regno, cujus infantiam mi-

nicles. But the two dates afiigned by Jor- fertus concefBt ei fanguinem ; et quia pulcher

nandes (c. 46. p. 6S0.), would delay that great erat, tamen donavit ei reditum fex millia

event to the year 479 : and though M. de folidos, et mifit eum intra Campaniam cum

Buat has overlooked his evidence, he pro- parentibus fuis libere vivere. Anonym. Va-

duces (torn. viii. p. 261 — 28S.) many colla- lef. p. 716. Jornandes fays (c. 46. p. cT3o.),

teral circumftances in fupport of the fame in Lucullano Campanix caitello exilii poena

opinion. damnavit.

,l6 See his medals in Ducange (Fam. By- 118 Seethe eloquent Declamation of Sene-

zantin. p. 81.), Prifcus (Excerpt. Legat. p. ca (epift. lxxxvi.). The philofopher might

56. Maffei Offervazioni Letterarie, torn. ii. have recollefted, ihat all luxury is relative;

p. 314. We may allege a famous and fimi- and that the elder Scipio, whofe manners

Jar cafe. The meaneft fubjecls of the Ro- were poliftied by ftudy and converfat'on, was

man empire affumed the illufirious name of himfelf accufed of that vice by his ruder cpn-

Patricius, which, by the converfion of Ire- temporaries (Livy xxix. 19.).

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

499

cf Naples were crowded with villas; and Sylia applauded the maf- c " A p-

AAA* J,

terly fkill of his rival, who had feated himfelf on the lofty pro- *

mcntory of Mifenum, that commands, on every fide, the fea
and land, as far as the boundaries of the horizon The villa
of Marius was purchafed, within a few years, by Lucullus, and the
price had increafed from two thoufand five hundred, to more than
fourfcore thoufand, pounds fterling'30. It was adorned by the new
proprietor with Grecian arts, and Afiatic treafures; and the houfes
and gardens of Lucullus obtained a diftinguiftied rank in the lift of
Imperial palaces ,3'. When the Vandals became formidable to the
fea-coaft, the Lucullan villa, on the promontory of Mifenum, gra-
dually affumed the ftrength and appellation of a ftrong caftle, the
obfeure retreat of the laft emperor of the Weft. About twenty years
after that great revolution, it was converted into a church and mo-
naftery, to receive the bones of St. Severinus. They fecurely repofed,
amidft the broken trophies of Cimbric and Armenian victories, till
the beginning of the tenth century ; when the fortifications, which
might afford a dangerous fhelter to the Saracens, were demolifhed
by the people of Naples ,3\

119 Sylia, in the language of a foldier, though various, magnificence, at Baia?, Xa-

praifed his peritia cajlrametandi (Plin. Hift. pies, Tufcnlum, Sec. He boafted that he

Natur. xviii. 7.). Phaedrus, who makes changed his climate with the ftorks and

its (hady walks (lata viridia) the fcene of an cranes. Plutarch, in Lucull. torn, iii. p.

jnfipid fable (ii. 5.), has thus defcribed the 193.

fituation : 131 Severinus died in Noricum, A. D. 482.

Csfar Tiberius quam petens Neapolim, Six years afterwards, his body, which fcat-

In Mifenenfem villam veniffet fuam ; tered miracles as it patted, was tranfported

Qua? monte fummo pofita Luculli manu by his difciples into Italy. The devotion of

Profpectat Siculum et profpicit Tufcum a Neapolitan lady invited the faint to the

mare. Lucullan villa, in the place of Auguftulus,

'30 From feven myriads and a half to two who was probably no more. See Barcnius

hundred and fifty myriads of drachma. Yet (Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 496. N° 50, 5 1 .) and

even in the pofl'eflion of Marius, it was a luxu- Tillemont (Mem. Ecclef. torn. xvi. p. 17S —

rious retirement. The Romans derided his 181.), from the original life by Eugipius.

indolence: they foon bewailed his aftivity. The narrative of the laft migration of Seve. i-

See Plutarch, in Mario, torn. ii. p. 524. ni*s to Naple6, is likewjfe an authentic piece.

131 Luculks had other villas of equal,

Odoacer

5oo THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. OJoacer was the firfl: Barbarian who reigned in Italy, over a pea*-

XXXVI* a

v. -„ i pie who had once aflerted their juft fuperiority above the reft of

Decay of the mankind. The difgrace of the Romans ftili excites our refpectful

Roman ° 1 •

fpirit. compaffion, and we fondly fympathife with the imaginary grief and

indignation of their degenerate pofterity. But the calamities of Italy
had gradually fubdued the proud confcioufnefs of freedom and glory.
In the age of Roman virtue, the provinces were fubject to the
arms, and the citizens to the laws, of the rq)ublic; till thofe laws
were iubverted by civil difcord, and both the city and the provinces
became the fervile property of a tyrant. The forms of the conftitu-
tion, which alleviated or difguifed their abject flavery, were abolifhed
by time and violence ; the Italians alternately lamented the prefence
or the abfence of the fovereigns, whom they detefted or defpifed ;
and the fucceffion of five centuries inflicted the various evils of mi-
litary licence, capricious defpotifm, and elaborate oppreffion. Dur-
ing the fame period, the Barbarians had emerged from obfcurity and
contempt, and the warriors of Germany and Scythia were introduced
into the provinces, as the fervants, the allies, and at length the maf-
ters, of the Romans, whom they infulted or protected. The hatred
of the people was fuppreffed by fear ; they refpected the fpirit and
fplendour of the martial chiefs who were inverted with the honours
of the empire ; and the fate of Rome had long depended on the
fword of thofe formidable ftrangers. The ftern Ricimer, who
trampled on the ruins of Italy, had exercifed the power, without
alTuming the title, of a king ; and the patient Romans were irrfenfibly
prepared to acknowledge the royalty of Odoacer and hi3 Barba-
ric fucceflTors.

Character The King of Italy was not unworthy of the high ftation to which
Odoacer, his valour and fortune had exalted him : his favage manners were
490? 476 ~~ polilhed by the habits of converfation ; and he refpected, though a •
conqueror and a Barbarian-, the mftitutions, and even the prejudices

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

of his Subjects. After an interval of feven years, Odoacer reftored
the confulfhip of the Weft. For himfelf, he modeftly, or proudly, v.
declined an honour which was {till accepted by the emperors of the
Eaft ; but the curule chair was fucceflively filled by eleven of the
mod illuftrious fenators133 ; and the lift is adorned by the refpectable
name of Bafilius, whofe virtues claimed the friendfhip and grateful
applaufe of Sidonius, his client l3\ The laws of the emperors were
Strictly enforced, and the civil adminiftration of Italy was ftill exer-
cifed by the Praetorian prefect, and his fubordinate officers. Odoacer
devolved on the Roman magiftrates the odious and oppreffive talk
of collecting the public revenue ; but he referved for himfelf the
merit of feafonable and popular indulgence ,35. Like the reft of
the Barbarians, he had been instructed in the Arkn herefy ; but he
revered the monaftic and epifcopal characters ; and the filence of
the Catholics attefts the toleration which they enjoyed. The peace
of the city required the interpofition of his prefect Bafilius, in the
choice of a Roman ponthT : the decree which restrained the clergy
from alienating their lands, was ultimately defigned for the benefit
of the people, whofe devotion would have been taxed to repair the
dilapidations of the church ,3fi . Italy was protected by the arms of
its conqueror ; and its frontiers were refpected by the Barbarians of
Gaul and Germany, who had fo long infulted the feeble race of

• 133 The confular Fafti may be found in ,3S Epiphanius interceded for the people-

Pagi or Muratori. The confuls named by of Pavia ; and the king firft granted an in-

Odoacer, or perhaps by the Roman fen ate, diligence of five years, and afterwards relieved,

appear to have been acknowledged in the them from the oppreflion of Pelagius, the,

Eaftern empire. Prastorian pnefecT: (Ennodius, in Vit. St.

134 Sidonius Apollinaris (I. i. epift. 9. p. Epiphan. in Sirraond. Oper. torn. i. p. 1670,

22. edit. Sirmond) has compared the two 1672.).

leading fenators of his time (A. D. 468.), 136 See Baronius, Annal. Ecclef. A. D.

Gennadius Avienus, and Cazfina Bafilius. 483. Nc 10—15. Sixteen years afterwards,

To the former he affigns the fpecious, to the the irregular proceedings of Bafilius were

latter the folid, virtues of public and private condemned by pope Symmachus in a Roman

fife. A Bafilius junior, poflibly his fon, was fynod.
conful in the year 480,

Theodofiu?,

502

THE DECLINE AND FALL

iiate of Italy.

CHAP. Theodofius. Odoacer pafled the Hadriatic, to chaftife the affanms of

.XXXVI

. \ the emperor Nepos, and to acquire the maritime province of Dal-
matia. He paffed the Alps, to refcue the remains of Noricum from
Fava, or Feletheus, king of the Rugians, who held his refidence
beyond the Danube. The king was vanquilhed in battle, and led
away prifoner ; a numerous colony of captives and fubje&s was
tranfplanted into Italy ; and Rome,- after a long period of defeat and
difgrace, might claim the triumph of her Barbarian matter
Miferable Notwithstanding the prudence and fuccefs of Odoacer, his king-
dom exhibited the fad profpe& of mifery and defolation. Since the
age of Tiberius, the decay of agriculture had been felt in Italy ;
and it was a juft fubjecT: of complaint, that the life of the Roman
people depended on the accidents of the winds and waves ,3\ In
the divifion and the decline of the empire, the tributary harvefts
of Egypt and Africa were withdrawn ; the numbers of the inhabit-
ants continually diminifhed with the means of fubfiftence ; and the
country was exhaufted by the irretrievable lories of war, famine *35,
and peftilence. St. Ambrofe has deplored the ruin of a populous
diftricl:, which had been once adorned with the flourifhing cities of
Bologna, Modena, Regium, and Placentia ,4°. Pope Gelafius was a
fubjecl: of Odoacer ; and he affirms, with ftrong exaggeration, that
in iEmilia, Tufcany, and the adjacent provinces, the human fpecies

,J7 The wars of Odoacer are concifely 139 A famine, which afHided Italy at the

mentioned by Paul the Deacon (de Geft. time of the irruption of Odoacer, king of the

Langobard. 1. i. c. 19. p. 757. edit. Grot.), Heruli, is eloquently defcribed in profe and

and in the two Chronicles of Cafliodorius and verfe, by a French poet (Les Mois, torn. ii.

Cufpinian. The life of St. Severinus, by p. 174. 206. edit, in i2mo.). I am ignorartt

Eugipius, which the count de Buat (Hift. from whence he derives his information ; but

des Peuples, &c. torn. viii. c. 1.4. 8. 9.) I am well aflured that he relates fome facts

has diligently ftudied, illuftrates the ruin of incompatible with the truth of hiftory.

Noricum and the Bavarian antiquities. 1+0 See the xxxixth epiftle of St. Am-

,j8 Tacit. Annal. iii. 53. The Recherches brofe, as it is quoted by Muratori, fopra le

■fur l'Adminiftration des Terres chez les Ro- Antichita Italiane, torn. i. Diflext. xxi. p.

mains (p. 351 -561-) clearly ftate the pro- 354.
.grefs of internal decay.

was

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

was almoft extirpated ,4'. The plebeians of Rome, who were fed c A p.
by the hand of their matter, perifhed or difappeared, as foon as . j

his liberality was fupprefTed ; the decline of the arts reduced the in-
duftrious mechanic to idlenefs and want ; and the fenators, who might
fupport with patience the ruin of their country, bewailed their pri-
vate lofs of wealth and luxury. One-third of thofe ample eftates,
to which the ruin of Italy is originally imputed M*, was extorted for
the ufe of the conquerors. Injuries were aggravated by infults ; the
fenfe of actual fufferings was embittered by the fear of more dread-
ful evils ; and as new lands were allotted to new fwarms of Bar-
barians, each fenator was apprehenfive left the arbitrary furveyors
fhould approach his favourite villa, or his moft profitable farm.
The leaft unfortunate were thofe who fubmitted without a murmur
to the power which it was impoffible to refift. Since they defired
to live, they owed fome gratitude to the tyrant who had fpared
their lives; and fi nee he was the abfolute mafter of their fortunes,
the portion which he left muft be accepted as his pure and volun-
tary gift ,43. The diftrefs of Italy was mitigated by the prudence
and humanity of Odoacer, who had bound himfelf, at the price of
his elevation, to fatisfy the demands of a licentious and turbulent
multitude. The kings of the Barbarians were frequently refifted,
depofed,or murdered, by their native fubjects ; and the various bands
of Italian mercenaries, who aflbciated under the ftandard of an
'elective general, claimed a larger privilege of freedom and rapine.

141 Emilia, Tufcia, ceterasque provincial rather of patience, which Cicero (ad Fami-
in quibus hominum prope nullus exfiftit. Hares, 1. ix. epift. 17.) fuggefts to his friend
Gelafius, Epift. ad Andromachum, ap. Baro- Papirius Partus, under the military defpotifm
mum, Annal. Ecclef. A. D. 496. N° 36. of Caofar. The argument, however, of

142 Verumque confitentibus, latifundia *' vivere pulcherrimum duxi," is more for-
perdidere Italiam. Plin. Hift. Natur. xviii.7. cibly addrefTed to a Roman philofopher, who

143 Such are the topics of confolation, or pofieffed the free alternative of life or death.

7 A monarchy

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Scxxv/ ^ monarc^7 deftitute of national union, and hereditary right,

« -v » haftened to its diflblution. After a reign of fourteen years, Odoacer

was oppreffed by the fuperior genius of Theodoric, king of the
Oftrogoths ; a hero alike excellent in the arts of war and of go-
vernment, who reftored an age of peace and profperity, and whofe
name ftill excites and deferves the attention of mankind.

C H A P.

THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

CHAP. XXXVIL

Origin , Progrefs, and EffeSIs of the Monaflic Life. —
Convcrfion of the Barbarians to Chriflianity a?td Arian-
ifm. — Ptrfecution of the Fandals in Africa, — Ex-
tinction of Arianifm amoncr the Barbarians.

H E indiflbluble connection of civil and ecclefiaftical affairs, c H A P
has compelled, and encouraged, me to relate the progrefs, the XXXVII.

perfecutions, the eftablifhment, the divifions, the final triumph, and
the gradual corruption of Chriflianity. I have purpofely delayed the
confideration of two religious events, interefting in the ftudy of hu-
man nature, and important in the decline and fall of the Roman
empire. I. The inftitution of the monaftic life * 3 and, II. The con-
version of the northern Barbarians.

I. Profperity and peace introduced the distinction of the vulgar j th1
and the Afcetic Chrijllans \ The loofe and imperfect practice of re-

IE MO-
NASTIC
LIFE.

ligion fatisfied the confcience of the multitude. The prince or ma- Orig'n of tHc

monks.

' The origin of the monaftic inftitution * See Eufeb. Dcmonftrat. Evangel. (1. i.

has been laborioufiy difcufled by Thomafin 2Qj 2|< edh_ GnEC< Rob< Stephani) Paris>
(Difciphne de l'Eghfe, torn. 1. p. 1419—

,426.) and Helyot (Hift. des Ordres Mo- ■*«•>■ I" ^ Eccleuaft.cal Hiftory, pub-

naftiques, tom. i. p. 1-66.). Th«fe authors h(hed twelve >'ears after the Dcmonftration,

are very learned and tolerably honeft, and Eufebius (1. ii. c. 17.) aflerts the Chrillianny

their difference of opinion (hews the fubjeft of the Therapeutic ; but he appears ignorant,

in its full extent. Yet the cautious Proteft- thatafimilar inftitution was actually revived

ant, who diftrufts any popifh guides, may jn Egypt,
confult the feventh bock of Bingham's Chrift-
ian Antiquities.

Vol. III. 3 T giftrate,

506

THE DECLINE

AND

FALL

CHAP. giftratej the foldier or merchant, reconciled their fervent zeal, and

AAA V 11.

\m r implicit faith, with the exercife of their profeflion, the purfuit of

their intereft, and the indulgence of their paffions : but the Afcetics
who obeyed and abufed the rigid precepts of the gofpel, were in-
fpired by the favage enthufiafm, which reprefents man as a crimi-
nal, and God as a tyrant. They ferioufly renounced the bulinefs,
and the pleafures, of the age ; abjured the ufe of wine, of flefh, and
of marriage ; chaftifed their body, mortified their affections, and em-
braced a life of mifery, as the price of eternal happinefs. In the
reign of Conftantine, the Afcetics fled from a profane and degenerate
world, to perpetual foiitude, or religious fociety. Like the firft
Chriftians of Jerufalem 3, they refigned the ufe, or the property, of
their temporal pofTeiTions ; eftablifhed regular communities of the
fame fex, and a fimilar difpofition ; and aiTumed the names of
Hermits, Monks, and Anachorets, expreffive of their lonely retreat in
a. natural or artificial defert. They foon acquired the refpecl: of the
world, which they defpifed ; and the loudeft applaufe was beftowed
on this Divine Philosophy4, which furpafied, without the aid of
fcience or reafon, the laborious virtues of the Grecian fchools. The
monks might indeed contend with the Stoics, in the contempt of
fortune, of pain, and of death : the Pythagorean filence and fubmif-
fion were revived in their fervile difcipline ; and they difdained, as
firmly as the Cynics themfelves, all the forms and decencies of civih
fociety. But the votaries of this Divine Philofophy afpired to imitate^
a purer and more perfect model. They trod in the footfteps of the

3 Caflian (Collat. xviii. 5.) claims this 14.) the origin and progrefs of this monkifri
origin for the inftitution of the Coenobites, philofophy (fee Suicer. Thefaur. Ecclef. torn,
which gradually decayed till it was roftored ii. p. 144.1.). Some modern writers, Lip-
by Anthony and his difciples. fius (torn. iv. p. 448. Manuduft. ad Philof.

4 £1$ E>uf*cJT»ToiF yap t» xzr'Pa e'? «»9p*'**'«? Stoic, iii. 13. ), and La Mothe le Vayer (torn.
<Wa 7r«fa ©fa n towut)) fiW:?^. Thefe are ix. delaVertu des Payens, p. 228 — 262.),
the expreflive words of Sozomen, who copi- have compared the Carmelites to the Pytha-
oully and agreeably defcribes (1. i. c. 12, 13, goreans, and the Cynics to the Capucins.

prophets3

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

-propliets, who had retired to the defert 5 ; and they reftored the CHAP.

AAA \ II*

devout and contemplative life, which had been inftituted by the -/

Eilenians, in Paleftine and Egypt. The philofophic eye of Pliny

had furveyed with aftonifhment a folitary people, who dwelt among

the palm-trees near the Dead Sea ; who fubfifted without money,

v. ho were propagated without women ; and who derived from the

diiguft and repentance of mankind, a perpetual fupply of voluntary

afTociates rt.

Egypt, the fruitful parent of fuperftition, afforded the firft ex- Antony and
ample of the monaftic life. Antony 7, an illiterate 8 youth of the Egy™," S
lower parts of Thebais, diftributed his patrimony', deferted his fa- A" D' 3°5'
mily and native home, and executed his moriajlic penance with ori-
ginal and intrepid fanaticifrru After a long and painful noviciate,

5 The Carmelites derive their pedigree, in
regular fucceffion, from the prophet Elijah
(fee the Thefes ofBeziers, A. D. 1682. in
Bayle's Nouvelles de la Republique des
Lettres, Oeuvres, torn. i. p. 82, &c. and
the prolix irony of the Ordres Monaftiques,
an anonymous work, torn. i. p. 1 — 433.
Berlin, 1751.). Rome and the inquifuion
of Spain, filenced the profane criticifm of the
Jefuits of Flanders (Helyot, Hift. des Ordres
Monaftiques, torn. i. p. 282 — 300.), and the
ftatue of Elijah, the Carmelite, has been
crefted in the church of St. Peter (Voyages
du P. Labat, torn. iii. p. 87.).

6 Plin. Hift. Natur. v. 15. Gens fola, et
in toto orbe prseter ceteras mira, fine ulla
femina, omni venere abdicata, fine pecunia,
focia palmarum. Ita per feculorum millia
(incredibile diftu) gens aeterna -eft in qua
nemo nafcitur. Tarn fcecunda illis aliorum
vitae pcenitentia eft. He places them juft be-
yond the noxious influence of the lake, and
names Engaddi and Mafada as the neareft
towns. The Laura, and monaftery of St.
Sabas, could not be far diftant from this
place. See Reland. Paleftin. torn. i. p. 295.
torn. ii. p. 763. 874. 880. 890.

7 See Athanaf. Op. torn. ii. p. 450—505.
and the Vit. Patrum, p. 26—74. witn R°f-
weyde's Annotations. The former is the
Greek original ; the latter, a very ancient
Latin verfion by Evagrius, the friend of St.
JeronO

* Tcctfifiara. fxif f«*6=u hk nnax^o. Athanaf.
torn. ii. in Vit. St. Anton, p. 452. ; and th«
afl'ertion of his total ignorance has been re-
ceived by many of the ancients and moderns.
But Tillemont (Mem. Ecclef. torn. vii. p.
666.) fhews, by fome probable arguments,
that Antony could read and write in the Cop-
tic his native tongue ; and that he was only a
ftranger to the Greek letters. The philofo-
pher Synefius (p. 51.) acknowledges, that
the natural genius of Antony did not require
the aid of learning.

9 If the J, ~ura be a Iquare meafure of an
hundred Egyptian cubits (Rofweyde, Ono-
mafticon ad Vit. Patrum, p. 1014, 1015.);
and the Egyptian cubit of all ages be equal
to twenty-two Englilh inches (Greaves, vol.i.
p. 233.), the arura willconfiftof about three
quarters of an Englilh acre.

T 2

among

5o8

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, among the tombs, and in a ruined tower, he boldly advanced into
XXXVII. b . 7

*— v • the defert three days journey to the eaitward of the Nile ; difcovered

a lonely fpot, which pofleffed the advantages of lhade and watery
and fixed his laft refidence on mount Colzim near the Red Sea ^
where an ancient monaftery ftill preferves the name and memory of
the faint ,0. The curious devotion of the Chriftians purfued him to
the defert ; and when he was obliged to appear at Alexandria, in the
face of mankind, he fupported his fame with difcretion and dignity.
He enjoyed the friendlhip of Athanafius, whofe doctrine he approved ;
and the Egyptian peafant refpectfully declined a refpectful invitation
from the emperor Conftantine. The venerable patriarch (for An-
^•Jk*2*1""" tony attained the age of one hundred and five years) beheld the
numerous progeny which had been formed by his example and
his leffons. The prolific colonies of monks multiplied with rapid
inereafe on the fands of Libya, upon the rocks of Thebais, and in
the cities of the Nile. To the fouth of Alexandria, the mountain,
and adjacent defert, of Nitria, was peopled by five thoufand anacho-
rets ; and the traveller may ftill inveftigate the ruins of fifty mo-
nafteries, which were planted m that barren foil, by the difciples of
Antony In the Upper Thebais, the vacant Ifland of Tabenne 11
was occupied by Pachomius, and fourteen hundred of his brethren.
That holy abbot fucceflively founded nine monafteries of men, and

10 The defcription of the monaftery is and twenty cr thirty monks. See D'Anville,
given by Jerom (torn. i. p. 248,249. in Vit. Defcription del'Egypt?, p. 74.
Hilarion), and the P. Sicard (Miffions du 11 Tabenne is a final 1 ifland in the Nile,.
Levant, torn. v. p. 122 — 200.). Their ac- in the diocefe of Teatyra or Dendera, be-
counts cannot always be reconciled ; the Fa- tween the modern town of Girge and the
ther painted from his fancy, and the Jefuit rains of ancient Thebes (D'Anville, p. 194.).
from his experience. M. de Tillemont doubts whether it was an

11 Jerom, torn. i. p. 146. ad Euftochium. ifle ; but I may conclude, from his own facts,
Hift. Laufiac. c. 7. in Vit. Patrum, p. 712. that the primitive name W3s afterwards tranf-
The P. Sicard (Millions du Levant, torn. ii. p. ferred to the great monaftery of Bau or Pabaa
zg—jg.) vifned, and has defcribed, this (Mem. Ecclef. torn. vii. p. 678. 6S8.)..
tiefert, which now contains four monafteries,

one

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

one of women ; and the feftival of Eafter fometimes collected fifty ^ H A , P.

XX X Vila

thoufai J religious perfons, who followed his angelic rule of difci- v. — * — *
pline ,3. The ftately and populous city of Oxyrinchus, the feat of
Chriitian orthodoxy, had devoted the temples, the public edifices,
and even the ramparts, to pious and charitable ufes ; and the biihopy
who might preach in twelve churches, computed ten thoufand fe-
males, and twenty thoufand males, of the monaftic profeffion
The Egyptians, who gloried in this marvellous revolution, were dif-
pofed to hope, and to believe, that the number of the monks was
equal to the remainder of the people IS ; and pofterity might repeat the
faying, which had formerly been applied to the facred animals of
the fame country, That, in Egypt, it was lefs difficult to find a
god, than a man.

Athanafius introduced into Rome the knowledge and practice of Propagation
the monaftic life ; and a fchool of this new philofophy was opened naftic life* at
by the difciples- of Antony, who accompanied their primate to the a?D?34.*.-
holy threfhold of the Vatican. The ftrange and favage appearance
of thefe Egyptians excited, at firft, horror and contempt, and, at
length, applaufe and zealous imitation. The fenators, and more
efpecially the matrons, transformed their palaces and villas into reli-
gious houfes \ and the narrow inftitution of fix Veftals, was eclipfed by
the frequent monasteries, which were feated on the ruins of ancient
temples, and in the. midli of the Roman Forum I6. Inflamed by the

13 See in the Codex Regularuni (pcbliflied whofe inhabitants adored a fmall fifh in a

by Lucas Holfienius, Rome, i65i.) a pre- magnificent temple.

face of St. Jerom to his Latin verfion of the 'S Q^a™ populi habentur in urbibus, tan-
Rule of Pachomius, torn. i. p. 61. ta ?x"e habentur in defertis multitudes
_ , • t,. r. tt monachorum. Rutin, c. 7. in Vit. Patrum. .
u Rufin. c. c. in Vit. Patrum, p. acq. He c „ . ' , r

. . 3 r 7/ P- -461. He congratulates the fortunate

calls it, civitas ampla valde et populofa, and change

reckons twelve churches. Strabo (1. xvii. The introduaion of the monaltic lifeinto ■

p. 1166.), andAmmianus (xxii. 16.) have Rome and Italy, is occafionally mentioned

.made honourable mention of Oxyrinchus, by Jerom (torn. i. p. 119, 120. 199-)-

example

THE DECLINE AND FALL

•9

Cii A:P. example of Antony, a Syrian youth, whofe name was Hilarion

« , 1 fixed his dreary abode on a fandy beach, between the fea and a mo-

paieftine, rafs, about feven . miles from Gaza. The auftere penance, in which
he perfifted forty-eight years, difiufed a fimilar enthufiafm ; and
the holy man was followed by a train of two or three thoufand
anachorets, whenever he vilited the innumerable monafteries of Pa-
Bafil in Pon- leftine. The fame of Bafil 13 is immortal in the monaftic hiftory of
A? D. 360. the Eaft. With a mind, that had tailed the learning and eloquence
of Athens ; with an ambition, fcarcely to be fatisfied by the
archbifhopric of Cxfarea, Bafil retired to a favage folitude in Pontus;
and deigned, for a while, to give laws to the fpiritual colonies
which he profufely fcattered along the coaft of the Black Sea. In
Martin in tjie \veft, Martin of Tours ,s>, a foldier, an hermit, a bifhop, and

Gaul, *

A. D. 370. a faint, eftabliflied the monafteries of Gaul ; two thoufand of his
difciples followed him to the grave ; and his eloquent hiftorian chal-
lenges the deferts of Thebais, to produce, in a more favourable
climate, a champion of equal virtue. The progrefs of the monks
was not lefs rapid, or univerfal, than that of Chriftianity itfelf.
Every province, and, at laft, every city, of the empire, was filled
with their increafing multitudes ; and the bleak and barren illes,
from Lerins to Lipari, that arife out of the Tufcan fea, were chofen
by the anachorets, for the place of their voluntary exile. An eafy
and perpetual intercourfe by fea and land conne&ed the provinces of

*7 See the Life of Hilarion, by St. Jerom puted the authenticity of his Afcetic rules;

(torn. i. p. 241. 252.). The ilories of Paul, but the external evidence is weighty, and

Hilarion, and Malchus, by the fame author, they can only prove, that it is the work of a

are admirably told ; and the only defed of realoraffettedenthufiaft. SeeTillemont,Mem.

thefe pleafing compofitions is the want of Ecclef. torn. ix. p. 636— 644. Helyot, Hift.

truth and common fenfe. des Ordres Monaftiques, torn. i. p. 175 — 181.

13 His original retreat was in a fmall vil- '» See his Life, and the Three Dialogues

lage on the banks of the Iris, not far from by Sulpicius Severus, who aflerts (Dialog, i.

Neo-Caefarea. The tenor twelve years of 16.), that the bookfellers of Rome were de-

his monaftic life were difturbed by long and lighted with the quick and ready fale of his

frequent avocations. Some critics have dif- popular work.

7 .the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

tfie Roman world ; and the life of Hilarion difplays the facility with ^^^f*

which an indigent hermit of Paleftine might traverfe Egypt, embark ^— — v '

for Sicily, efcape to Epirus, and finally fettle in the ifland of Cyprus".
The Latin Chriftians embraced the religious inftitutions of Rome.
The pilgrims, who vilited Jerufalem, eagerly copied, in the moft
diftant climates of the earth, the faithful model of the monaftic life.
The difciples of Antony fpread themfelves beyond the tropic over the
Chriftian empire of ^Ethiopia11. The monaftery of Banchor", in Flint-
Ihire, which contained above two thoufand brethren, difperfed a nu-
merous colony among the Barbarians of Ireland 13 ; and Iona, one of
the Hebrides, which was planted by the Irifh monks, diffufed over
the northern regions a doubtful ray of fcience and fuperftition 2\

Thefe unhappy exiles from focial life, were impelled by the dark Caufesofit*

*■ 1 J # J rapid pro-

and implacable genius of fuperftition. Their mutual refolution was grefs.
fupported by the example of millions, of either fex, of every age, and
of every rank ; and each profelyte, who entered the gates of a mo-
naftery, was perfuaded, that he trod the fteep and thorny path of

10 When Hilarion failed from Paranoni-
am to Cape Pachynus, he offered to pay his
pafTage with a book of the Gofpels. Poft-
Jiumian, a Gallic monk, who had vifued
Egypt, found a merchant-fhip bound from
Alexandria to Marfeilles, and performed the
voyage in thirty days (Sulp. Sever. Dialog,
'i. 1.). Athanafius, who addreffed his Life of
St. Antony to the foreign monks, was ob-
liged to haften the compofition, that it might
be ready for the failing of the fleets (torn. ii.
p.451.).

21 See Jerom (tom.i.-p. 126.), AfTemanni,
Bibliot. Orient, tom.iv. p. 92. p. 857 — 919.
and Geddes, Church Hiltory of ^Ethiopia,
p. 29, 30, 31. The Habyffinian monks ad-
here very ftrittly to the primitive inftitution.
• 11 Camden's Britannia, vol. i. p. 666,
66?.

13 All that learning can extract from the
rubbifh of the dark ages is copioufly ftated
by archbifhop Ufher, in his Britannicarum
Ecclefiarum Antiquitates, cap. xvi. p. 425 —
5°3-

14 This fmall, though not barren, fpot,
Icna, Hy, or Columbkill, only two miles in
length, and one mile in breadth, has been
diuinguifhed, I. By the monauery of St. Co-
lumba, founded A. D. 566 ; whofe abbot
exercifed an extraordinary jurifdidlion over
the bifhops of Caledonia. 2. By a clajfu
library, which afforded fome hopes of an
entire Livy; and, 3. By the tombs of lixty
kings, Scots, Irifh, and Norwegians ; who
repofed in holy ground. See Ufher (p. 3 1 1 ,
360 — 370.), and Buchanan (Rer. Scot. 1. ii.
p. 15,. edit. Ruddiman).

eternal

THE DECLINE AND FALL

eternal happinefs ls. But the operation of thefe religious motive?
was varioufly determined by the temper and fituation cf mankind.
Reafon might fubdue, or paffion might mfpend, their influence :
but they acted moft forcibly on the infirm minds of children and
females; they were ftrengthened byfecret remorfe, or accidental mif-
fortune ; and they might derive fome aid from the temporal confi-
-derations of vanity or intereft. It was naturally fuppofed, -that the
pious and humble monks, who had renounced the world, to accorn-
plifh the work of their falvation, were the beft qualified for the
fpiritual government of the Chriftians. The reluctant hermit was
torn from his cell, and feated, amidft the acclamations of the people,
on the epifcopal throne : the monafteries of Egypt, of Gaul, and of
the Eaft, fupplied a regular fuccefllon of faints and bilhops ; and
-ambition foon difcovercd the fecret road which led to the pofief-
fion of wealth and honours *\ The popular monks, whofe reputa-
tion was connected with the fame and fuccefs of the order, afiidu-
oufly laboured to multiply the number of their fellow-captives. They
infmuated themfelves into noble and opulent families ; and the fpe-
cious arts of flattery and feduction were employed to fecure thofe
profelytes, who might beftow wealth or dignity on the monaftic
profeflion. The indignant father bewailed the lofs, perhaps of an
only fon 17 ; the credulous maid was betrayed by vanity to violate

"*5 Chrylbftom (in the firft tome of the Be- rlngly rewarded, and more rigoroufly pu-

nedicYme edition) has confecrated three books nifhed.

to the praife and defence of the monaftic. life. 16 Thomafin (Difcipline de l'Eglife, torn.

He is encouraged by the example of the ark, to i. p. 1426 — 1469), and Mabillon (Oeuvres

prefume, that none but the elect (the monks) Pofthumes, torn. ii. p. 115—158.). The

can poffibly be faved (1. i. p. 55, 56.). Elfe- monks were gradually adopted as a part of the

where indeed he becomes more merciful (1. ecclefiaftical hierarchy.

iii. p. 83, 84..), and allows different degrees a? Dr. Middleton (vol.i. p. 110.) liberally

of glory like the fun, moon, and ftars. In cenfures the conduct and writings of Chry-

his lively comparifon of a king and' a monk foftom, one of the moft eloquent and fuccefs-

(1. iii. p. 116-121), he fuppofes (what is ful advecates for the monaftic life,
hardly fair), that the king will be more fpa-

tbe

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRK. 513

the laws of nature ; and the matron afpired to imaginary perfection, c ^Vij'

by renouncing the virtues of domeftic life. Paula yielded to the per- * 1

fuafive eloquence of Jerom 18 ; and the profane title of mother-in-law
of God1', tempted that illuftrious widow, to confecrate the virginity of
her daughter Euftochium. By the advice, and in the company, of her
fpiritual guide, Paula abandoned Rome and her infant ion ; retired
to the holy village of Bethlem ; founded an hofpital and four mo-
nafteries; and acquired, by her alms and pennance, an eminent and
confpicuous ftation in the catholic church. Such rare and illuftrious
penitents were celebrated as the glory and example of their age ;
but the monasteries were filled by a crowd of obfeure and abject
plebeians 3°, who gained in the cloyfter much more than they had
facrificed in the world. Peafants, flaves, and mechanics, might efcape
from poverty and contempt, to a fafe and honourable profelfion ;
whofe apparent hardfhips were mitigated by cuftom, by popular ap-
plaufe, and by the fecret relaxation of difcipline 3'. The fubjects of
Rome, whofe perfons and fortunes were made refponfible for un-
equal and exorbitant tributes, retired from the opprefhon of the Im-
perial government ; and the pufillanimous youth preferred the
pennance of a monaftic, to the dangers of a military, life. The

* 18 Jerom's devout ladies f 1 n a very con- fervili, vel etiam liberati, vel propter hoc a

fiderable portion of his works : the particu- Dominis liberati five liberandi; et ex vita

]ar treatife, which he ftyles the Epitaph of rufticana, et ex opificum exercitatione, et

' Paula (torn. i. p. 169 — 192.), is an elaborate plebeio labore. Augultin. de Oper. Mo-

and extravagant panegyric. The exordium nach. c. 22. ap. Thomaflin. Difcipline de

is ridiculoufly turgid : " If all the members J'Eglife, torn. iii. p. 1094. The Egyptian,

of my body were changed into tongues, who blamed Arfenius, owned that he led a

" and if all my limbs refounded with a hu- more comfortable life as a monk, than as a

" man voice, yet mould I be incapable, &c." fliepherd. See Tillemont, Mem. Ecclcf.

29 Socrus Dei efle coepifti (Jerom. torn. i. torn. xiv. p. 679.

p. 140. ad Euftochium), Rufinus (in Hiero- 31 A Dominican friar (Voyages du P. La-

nyrrfi Op. torn. iv. p. 223.), who was juftly bat, torn. i. p. 10.), who lodged at Cadiz in

i'candalifed, afics his adverfary, From what a convent of his brethren, foon underftood,

Pagan poet he had ftolen an exprefiion fo im- that their repofe was never interrupted by

pious and abfurd : nofturnal devotion; rt quoiqu'on ne laifl*

30 Nunc autem veniunt plerumque aJ hanc " pas de fonner pour 1'edilication dupeuple."
profeflionem fervitutis Dei, et ex conditione

Vol. III. 3 U affrighted

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, affrighted provincials, of every rank, who fled before the Barbarian?,
xxxvn. ox j > >

v - • found fhelter and fubfiftence ; whole legions were buried in thefe re-
ligious fanctuaries ; and the fame caufe, which relieved the diftrefs
of individuals, impaired the ftrength and fortitude of the empire3'.

Obedience of The monaftic profeffion of the ancients '* was an act of voluntary
C m ' devotion. The inconftant fanatic was threatened with the eternal
vengeance of the God whom he deferted : but the doors of the mo-
naftery were dill open for repentance. Thofe monks, whofe confeience
was fortified by reafon or paflion, were at liberty to refume the cha-
racter of men and citizens ; and even the fpoufes of Ghrift might ac-
cept the legal embraces of an earthly lover The examples of ican-
dal, and the progrefs of fuperftition, fuggefted the propriety of
more forcible reftraints. After a fufficient trial, the fidelity of the
novice was fecured by a iolemn and perpetual vow ; and his irrevo-
cable engagement wasjratified by the laws of the church and ftate. A
guilty fugitive was purfued, arrefted, and reftored" to his perpetual
prifon ; and the inte:polition of the magiftrate opprefled the freedom
and merit, which had alleviated, in fome degree, the abject flavery
of the monaftic difcipline The actions of a monk, his words, and
even his thoughts, were determined by an inflexible rule35, or a

capricious

31 See a. very fenfible preface of Lucas Patrum, his fourfirft books of Inftitutes, and

Holftenius to the Codex Regularum. The the twenty-four Collations or Conferences),
emperors attempted to fupport the obligation 33 The example of Malchus (Jerom. torn,

of public and private duties; but the feeble i. p. 256.), and the deftgn of Caflian and his

dykes were Avept away by the torrent of fu- friend (Collationxxiv. 1.) are inconteftable

perftition : and Juftinian furpafied the moil proofs of their freedom-; which is elegantly

fanguine wifhesof the monk* (Thomaflin,tom. defcribed by Erafmus in his Life of St. Je-

j, p. 1782 — 1799- and Bingham, l.vii. c. 3. rem. See Chardon, Hift. des Sacrem.er.3,

p. 253.). torn. vi. p. 279 — 3C0.

31 The monaftic inftitutions,particuIarlythofe 3* See the Laws of Juftinian (Novel. cx\ri.
of Egypt, about the year 400, are defcribed N° 42.)* an<l ot" Lewis the Pious (in the
by four curious and devout travellers ; Rufinus HiftoriansofFrar.ee, torn. vi. p. 427.), and
( Vit. Patrum, 1. ii, iii. p. 424— 5 36.), Poft- theaftual jurifprudenceof France, in Deniffars.
humian (Snip. Sever. Dialog, i.), Palladius (Decifions Sec. torn. iv. p. 855, &c).
(Hift. Lufiac. in Vit. Patrum, p. 709 — 863.), 35 The ancient Codex Regularum, col-
pad Caffisa (fee in torn. vii. b'ibliothec. Max. leclcd by Benedict Anianinus, the reformoe

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

capricious fuperior : the flighteft offences were corrected by difgrace ^'^vilT"
or confinement, extraordinary fafts or bloody flagellation ; and dif- v— — J
obedience, murmur, or delay, were ranked in the catalogue of the
mod heinous fins 3<s. A blind fubmiffion to the commands of the
abbot, however abfurd, or even criminal, they might feem, was the
ruling principle, the firft virtue of the Egyptian monks ; and their
patience was frequently exercifed by the raoft extravagant trials.
They were directed to remove an enormous rock ; affiduoufly to
water a barren ftaff, that was planted in the ground, till, at the end
of three years, it mould vegetate and bloflbm like a tree ; to walk
into a fiery furnace ; or to caft their infant into a deep pond : and
feveral faints, or madmen, have been immortalized in monaftic ftory,
by their thoughtlefs, and fearlefs, obedience ". The freedom of the
mind, the fource of every generous and rational fentiment, was de-
stroyed by the habits of credulity and fubmiffion ; and the monk,
contracting the vices of a flave, devoutly followed the faith and
paffions of his ecclefiaftical tyrant. The peace of the eaftern church
was invaded by a fwarm of fanatics, incapable of fear, or reafon, or
humanity ; and the Imperial troops acknowledged, without fhame,

of the monks in the beginning of the ninth invented. See an admirable difcourfe of the

century, and publiflied in the feventeenth, learned Mabillon (Oeuvres Pofthumes, torn,

by Lucas Holftenius, contains thirty different ii- p. 321 — 336.) ; who, on this occafion,

rules formen and women. Of thefe,feven were feenis to be infpired by the genius of huma-

compofed in Egypt, oire in the Ealt, one in l&y. For fuch an effort, I can forgive his

Cappadocia, one in Italy, one in Africa, four defence of the holy tear of Vendome (p.

in Spain, eight in Gaul, or France, and one in 361 — 399.).

England. 37 Sulp. Sever. Dialog, i. 12, 13. p. 53Z,

35 The rule of Columbanus, fo prevalent &c. Caflian, Inftitut. I. iv. c. 26, 27. " Prae-

in the Weft, inflifts one hundred ialhes for " cipua ibi virtus et prima eft obediential'

very flight offences (Cod. Reg. part ii. p. Among the Verba feniorum (in Vit. Patrum,

174.). Before the time of Charlemagne, the 1. v. p. 617.), the fourteenth libel or dif-

abbots indulged themfelves in mutilating courfe is on the fubjeel: of obedience ; and the

their monks, or putting out their eyes ; a Jefuit Rofweyde, who publiflied that huge

punifhment much lefs cruel than the tre- volume for the ufe of convents, has collected

mendous vade in pace (the fubterraneous all the fcattered paflages in hi* two copious

■dungeon, or fepulchre), which was afterwards indexes.

.3 U 2 that

5i6 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. tnat thev were much lefs appreheniive of an encounter with the

xxxvn. ^ 11
i — -v 1 fiercer! Barbarians ' .

Their drefs Supcrilition has often framed and conlecrated the fantaftic garments
tions.a U of the monks J* : bur their apparent Angularity fometimes proceeds
from their uniform attachment to a iimple and primitive model,
which the revolutions of faihion have made ridiculous in the eyes of
mankind. The father of the Benedictines cxprefsly difclaims all idea
of choice, or merit ; and Ibberly exhorts his difciples to adopt the
coarfe and convenient drefs of the countries which they may in-
habit *\ The monaftic habits of the ancients varied with the climate,
and their mode of life; and they amimed, with the lame indifference,
the fheep-fkin of the Egyptian peafants, or the cloak of the Grecian
philofophers. They allowed themfelves the ufe of linen in Egypt,
where it was a cheap and domeftic manufacture ; but in the Weft,
they rejected fuch an expenfive article of foreign luxury **. It was
the practice of the monks either to cut or (have their hair ; they
wrapped their heads in a cowl, to efcape the fight of profane objects ;
their legs and feet were naked, except in the extreme cold of
winter; and their flow and feeble fteps were fupported by a long
ftafF. The afpect of a genuine anachoret was horrid and difgufting :
every fenfation that is offenfive to man, was thought acceptable to
God ; and the angelic rule of Tabenne condemned the falutary cuftom
of bathing the limbs in water, and of anointing them with oil **.

M Dr. Jortin (Remarks on Ecclefiaftical 41 See the Rule of Ferreolus, bifhop of

Hiftory, vol. iv. p. 161.) has obferved the Ufez (N° 31. in Cod. Rcgul. part ii. p.

icandalous valour of the Cappadocian monks, 136.), and of Ifidore, bifhop of Seville (N°

which was exemplified in the banifhment of 13. in Cod. Regul. part ii. p. 214.).

Chryfoftom. 41 Some partial indulgences were granted

Caflian has fimply, though copioufly> for the hands and feet. " Totum autem

defcribed the monalUc habit of Egypt (Infti- " corpus nemo unguet nili cr.uf.'i infirmitati.s

tut. 1. i. ), to which Sozoinen (1. iii. c. 14.) " nec lavabitur aqua, nudo corpore, nili

attributes fuch allegorical meaning and virtue. " languor perfpicuus fit." (Regul. Pachom,

40 Regul. Benedia. N° 55. in Cod. Re- xcii. parti, p. 78.)
gul. partii. p. 51.

The

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

5*7

The auftere monks flept on the ground, on a hard mat, or a rough CYvvvrf'

blanket ; and the fame bundle of palm-leaves ferved them as a feat i — ^ >

In the day, and a pillow in the night. Their original cells were
low narrow huts, built of the (lighten1 materials ; which formed, by
the regular distribution of the ftreets, a large and populous village,
incloiing, within the common wall, a church, an hofpital, perhaps
a library, fome neceflary offices, a garden, and a fountain or refervoir
of frefh water. Thirty or forty brethren compofed a family of fe-
parate difcipline and diet; and the great monafteries of Egypt con-
firmed of thirty or forty families.

Pleafure and guilt are fynonymous terms in the language of the Their diet,
monks : and they had difcovered, by experience, that rigid fafts,
and abftemious diet, are the moft effectual prefervatives againft the
impure defires of the flefh 4J. The rules of abftinence, which they
impofed, or practifed, were not uniform or perpetual : the cheer-
ful fcftival of the Pentecoft was balanced by the extraordinary mor-
tification of Lent ; the fervour of new monafteries was infenfibly re-
laxed ; and the voracious appetite of the Gauls could not imitate
the patient, and temperate, virtue of the Egyptians *4. The difciples
of Anthony and Pachomius were fatisiied with their daily pittance **,

43 St. Jerom, in ftrong, but indifcreet, count of the aerurn tempcries, and the quali-
lauguage, exprefles the moft important ufe of tas noftrse fragiiitatis (Inftitut. iv. II. V
falling and abftinence: " Non quod Dcus Among the weftern rules, that of Columba-

" univerfitatis Creator et Dominus, inteftino- nus is the moft auftere; he had been edu-

" num noftrorum rugitu, et inanitate ventris, cated amidft the poverty of Ireland, as rigid

" pulmonifque ardore dele&etur, fed quod perhaps, and inflexible, as the abftemious vir-

" aliter pudicitia tuta efle nor. poflit." (Op. tue of Egypt. The Rule of Ifidore of Seville

torn. i. p. 137. ad Euftochium.) See the is the mildeft : on holidays he allows the ufc

twelfth and twenty-fecond Collations cf of flefti.

Caflian, de Cafiitate, and de lllufionibus Ncc- 45 ** Thofc who drink only water, and

turnis. <« have no nutritious liquor, ought, at leaft,

44 Edacitas in Graecis gula eft, in Gallis «< to have a pound and a half (tv.-cnty-four
natura (Dialog, i. c. 4. p. 521.). Caflian " ounces) of bread every day." State of
fairly owns, that the perfect model of abfti- Prilbns, p. 40. by Mr. Howard.

nence cannot be imitated in Gaul, on ac-

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. 0f twelve ounces of bread, or rather bifcuit 4\ which they divided
XXXVil. 7 1

i_ 1 into two frugal repafts, of the afternoon, and of the evening. It

•was efteemed a merit, and almoft a duty, to abftain from the boiled
vegetables, which were provided for the refectory ; but the extraor-
dinary bounty of the abbot fometimes indulged them with the
luxury of cheefe, fruit, fallad, and the fmall dried fim of the Nile47.
A more ample latitude of fea and river fifh was gradually allowed or
aflumed : but the ufe of flefli was long confined to the fick or tra-
vellers ; and when it gradually prevailed in the lefs rigid monasteries
of Europe, a fingular diftinction was introduced ; as if birds, whether
wild or domeftic, had been lefs profane than the groflcr animals of
the field. Water was the pure and innocent beveridge of the pri-
mitive monks ; and the founder of the Benedictines regrets the daily
portion of half a pint of wine, which had been extorted from him
by the intemperance of the age 4\ Such an allowance might be eafily
fupplied by the vineyards of Italy; and his victorious difciples, who
palled the Alps, the Rhine, and the Baltic, required, in the place of
Wine, an adequate compenfation of ftrong beer or cyder.
Their ma- The candidate who afpired to the virtue of evangelical poverty,

.imal labour. * ° 1 J

abjured, at his firft entrance into a regular community, the idea,

and even the name, of all feparate, or exclufive, polleflion 49. The

.brethren

*6 See.Caflian. .Collat. >1. ii. 19, 30, Mi 40. (in Cod. Reg. part ii. p. 41, 42.) Li-
The frnall loaves, .or bifcuit, of fix ounces cct legamus vinum omnino monachorum non
each, had obtained the name of Paximacia cfle, fed quia noftris temporibus id monachis
(Rofweyde, Ononiafticon, p. 1045.). Pa- perfuaderi non poteft ; he allows them a Ro-
chomius, however, allowed his monks fome man bemina, a meafure which may be afcer-
latitude in the quantity of their food ; but lie tair.ed from Arbuthnot's Tables,
made them work in proportion as they eat 49 Such expreflions, as wry book, my cloak,
(Pallad. in Hift. Laufiac. c. 38, 39. in Vit. tny fhoes (Callian. Inftitut. ). iv. c. 13.),
Patrum, 1. vi ii. p. 736, 737.)- were not lefs feverely prohibited among the

47 Sac the banquet to which Callian (Col- Weftern monks (Cod. Regul. partii. p. 174.
latum viS. 1.) was invited by Serenus, an 235.288.); and the Rule of Columbaniw
.Egyptian abbot. puniflied them with fix lafhes. The ironical

-A% See the Rule of St. Benedict, N° 39, author of the Ordrts Monajiiyues, who laughs

OF THE ROMAN> EMPIRE. 5-J:>

brethren were fupported by their manual labour: and the duty of C H A ?.

XXXVII.

labour was ftrenuoufly recommended as a pennance, as an exercifc, / .- _e

and as the moft laudable means of lecturing their daily fubfiftence 5°.
The garden, and fields, which the induftry of the monks had often
refcued from the foreft or the morafs, were diligently cultivated by
their hands. They performed, without reluctance, the menial offices
of Haves and domeftics j and the feveral trades that were necefiary t«
provide their habits, their utenfils, and their lodging, were exercifed
within the precincts of the great monafleries. The monadic ftudies
have tended, for the moft parr, to darken, rather than to difpel, the
cloud of fuperflition. Yet the curiofity or zeal of fome learned
folitaries has cultivated the ecclefiaftical, and even the profane, fci-
ences : and pofterity muft gratefully acknowledge, that the monu-
ments of Greek and Roman literature have been preferved and mul-
tiplied by their indefatigable pens 5'. But the more humble induftry
pf the monks, efpecially in Egypt, was contented with the filent,
fedentary, occupation, of making wooden fandals, or of twilling the
leaves of the palm-tree into mats and bafkets. The fuperfluous
ftock, which was not confumed in domeftic ufe, fupplied, by trade,
the wants of the community : the boats of Tabenne, and the other
monafteries of Thebais, defcended the Nile as far as Alexandria ;
and, in a Chriftian market, the fanctity of the workmen might en-
hance the intrinOc value of the work. .

at the foolifh. nicety of modern convents, p. 47 — 55.) has collected many curious fac"to
feems ignorant that the ancients were equally tojuftify the literary labours of his prede-
abfurd. ceflbrs, both in the Eaft and Weft. Books

s° Two great matters of ecclefiaftical fci- were -copied in the ancient monafteries of
ence, the P.Thomafliri (Difcipline de l'Eglife, Egypt (Cafllan. Inftitut. f. iv. c. 12. ), and
torn. iii. p. 1090— 11 39. ), and the P. Ma- by the difciples of St. Martin (Sulp. Sever,
billon (Etudes Monaftiques, torn. i. p. 1 16 — in Vit. Martin, c. 7. p. 473.). Cafliodorius
155.), have ferioufly examined the manual has allowed an ample fcope for the ftudies of
labour of the monks, which the former con- the monks ; and ive (hall not te fcandalized,
fiders as a merit, and the latter as a duty. if their pen fometimes wandered from Chry-

s' Mabillon (Etudes Monaftiques, torn. i. foftom and Auguftin, to Homer, and Virgil.

T But

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. };ut the neceflitv of manual labour was infenlibly fuperfeded.

t -u a The novice was tempted to beftow his fortune on the faints, in

Then j i es. wj1Q^e fociety he was refolved to fpend the remainder of his life;

and the pernicious indulgence of the laws permitted him to receive,
for their ufe, an)* future accefiions of legacy or inheritance 5\ Me-
lania contributed her plate, three hundred pounds weight of filver ;
and Paula contracted an immenfe debt, for the relief of their fa-
vourite monks ; who kindly imparted the merits of their prayers and
pennance to a rich and liberal linner Time continually increaled,
and accidents could feldom diminiih, the eftates of the popular rao-
nafteries, which fpread over the adjacent country and cities: and, in
the firft century of their inftitution, the infidel Zofimus has mali-
cioufiv obferved, that, for the benefit of the poor, the Chriftian monks
had reduced a great part of mankind to a ftate of beggary 5+. As long as
they maintained their original fervour, they approved themfelves, how-
ever, the faithful and benevolent ftewards of the charity, which was en-
trufted to their care. But their difcipline was corrupted by prolperity :
they gradually affumed the pride of wealth, and at laft indulged the
luxury of expence. Their public luxury might be excufed by the
magnificence of religious worfhip, and the decent motive of
erecting durable habitations for an immortal fociety. But every
age of the church has accufed the licentioufnefs of the degenerate
monks ; who no longer remembered the object of their inftitution,

51 Thomaflm (Difcipline de l'Eglife, torn. " If to God, he who fufpends the moun-

iii. p. 1 1 8. 145, 146. 171 — 1/9-) has examin- " tains in a balance, need not be informed

ed the revolution of the civil, canon, and " of the weight of your plate." (Pallad.Hift.

common, law. Modern France confirms the Lauiiac. c. 10. in the Vit. Patrum, 1. viii.

death which monks have inflidted on them- p. 715.)

felves, and juftly deprives them of all right 5+ To ir&v ntgo? nt yv-: vmMvunx, rr^Oxrn

of inheritance- Ti.7 p-na^Miou nurra. 7TTi.;£c«.;, vxvra; (a? ax a.)

i3 See Jerom (torn. i. p. 176. 183. ). The sra^t tirai-waiTit. Zofim. 1. v. p. 325.

monk Pambo made a fublime anfwer to Me- Yet the wealth of the ealtern monks was far

lania, who wiihed to fpecify the value of her furpafled by the princely greatnefs of the

gift: " Do you offer it to me, or to God r Benedi&ines.

o • embraced

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

embraced the vain and fenfual pleafures of the world, which they had c H & p-
renounced ss, and fcandaloufty abufed the riches which had been v- ~>
acquired by the auflere virtues of their founders s6. Their natural
defcent, from fuch painful and dangerous virtue, to the common
vices of humanity, will not, perhaps, excite much grief or indigna-
tion in the mind of a philofopher.

The lives of the primitive monks were confumed in penance and Their foli«
folitude ; undifturbed by the various occupations which fill the U C*
time, and exercife the faculties, of reafonable, active, and focial
beings. Whenever they were permitted to ftep beyond the pre-
cincts of the monaflery, two jealous companions were the mutual
guards and fpies of each other's actions ; and, after their return, they
were condemned to forget, or, at leaft, to fupprefs, whatever they
had feen or heard in the world. Strangers, who profeifed the ortho-
dox faith, were hofpitably entertained in a feparate apartment ; but
their dangerous converfation was reftricted to fome chofen elders of
approved difcretion and fidelity. Except in their prefence, the mo-
nadic Have might not receive the vifits of his friends or kindred j and
it was deemed highly meritorious, if he afflicted a tender fifter, or an
aged parent, by the obftinate refufal of a word or look .". The monks
themfelves paifed their lives, without perfonal attachments, among a
•crowd, which had been formed by accident, and was detained, in the
fameprifon, by force or prejudice. Reclufe fanatics have few ideas or

5S The fixth general council (the Quir.i- 56 I have fomewhere heard or read the

fext in Trullo, Canon xlvii. in Beveridge, frank confeiTion of a Benedictine abbot :

torn. i. p. Z13.) reftrains women from pafT- " My vow of poverty has given me an hun-

ing the night in a male, or men in a female, '« dred thoufand crowns a year ; my vow of

monaftery. Thefeventh general council (the M obedience has raifed me to the rank of a

fecond Nicene, canon xx. in Beveridge, torn. " fovereign prince." — I forget the confe-

i. p. 325.) prohibits the erection of double or quences of his vow of chaftity.
promifcuous monafteries of both fexes ; but 57 Pior, an Egyptian monk, allowed his

it appears from Balfamon, that the prohibi- fifter to fee him ; but he Ihut his eyes during

tion was not effectual. On the irregular plea, the whole vifit. See Vit. Patrum, 1. iii. p.

fures and expences of the clergy and monks, 504. Many fuch examples might be added,
fee Thomalfin, torn. iii. p. 1334 — 1368.

Vol. III. 3 X fentiments

522

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, fentiments to communicate : a fpecial licence of the abbot regulated the
xxxvn. . * b

M >' time and duration of their familiar vifits ; and, at their lilent meals,

they were enveloped in their cowls, inacceffible, and almoft invifible,.
to each other58. Study is the refource of folitude: but education had not
prepared and qualified for any liberal fhudies the mechanics and pea-
fants, who filled the monaftic communities. They might work : but
the vanity of fpiritual perfection was tempted to difdain the exercife
of manual labour; and the induftry muft be faint and languid, which
is not excited by the fenfe of perfonal intereft.
Their devo- According to their faith and zeal, they might employ the
Eons?" V day, which they patted in their cells, either in vocal or mental
prayer: they affembled in the evening, and they were awaken-
ed in the night, for the public worfhip of the monaftery. The
precife moment was determined by the flars, which are feldom cloud-
ed in the ferene fky of Egypt ; and a ruftic horn, or trumpet, the
lignal of devotion, twice interrupted the vaft filence of the defert S9.
Even fleep, the laft refuge of the unhappy, was rigoroufly meafured :.
the vacant hours of the monk heavily rolled along, without bufi-
nefs or pleafure ; and, before the clofe of each day, he had re-
peatedly accufed the tedious progrefs of the Sun c°. In this com-
fortlefs ftate, fuperftition ftill purfued and tormented her wretched
votaries 61 . The repofe which they had fought in the cloifler was

5* The 7th, 8th, 29th, 30th, 31ft, 34th, fighed to find himfelf alone. Sacpiufque egre-

57th, 6oth, 86th, and 95th articles of the Rule ditur et ingreditur cellam, et Solem velut ad

ofPachomius, impofe moll intolerable Iwwj of occafum tardius properantem crebrius intue-

filence and mortification. tur (Inflitut. x. i.).

59 The diurnal and noflurnal prayers of 61 The temptations and fufferings of Sta-

the monks are copioufly difcufl'ed by Caffian girius were communicated by that unfortu-

in the third and fourth books of his Inftitu- nate youth to his friend St. Chryfoftom. See

tions ; and he conltantly prefers the liturgy, Middleton's Works, vol. i. p. 107—110.

which an angel had dictated to the mo- Something fimilar introduces the life of every

nafteries of Tabenne. faint; and the famous Inigo, or Ignatius,

*° Cafiian, from his own experience, de- the founder of the Jefuits (Vie d'Inigo dc

foribes the acedia, or liftleflhefs of mind and Guipofcoa, torn. i. p. 29 — 38.) may ferve as

body, to which a monk was expofed, when he a memorable example.

5 difturbed

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 523

difturbed by tardy repentance, profane doubts, and guilty defires ; ^ H A P.

A. X. V 1 1 •

and, while they confidered each natural impulfe as an unpardonable 1 \ — ~i

fin, they perpetually trembled on the edge of a flaming and bottom-
lefs abyfs. From the painful ftruggles of difeafe and defpair, thefe
unhappy victims were fometimes relieved by madnefs or death ;
and, in the fixth century, an hofpital was founded at Jerufalem for a
fmall portion of the auftere penitents, who were deprived of their
fenfes 6\ Their viiions, before they attained this extreme and ac-
knowledged term of frenzy, have afforded ample materials of fu-
pernatural hiftory. It was their firm perfuafion, that the air, which
they breathed, was peopled with invifible enemies ; with innumerable
daemons, 'who watched every occafion, and afTumed every form, to
terrify, and above all to tempt, their unguarded virtue. The ima-
gination, and even the fenfes, were deceived by the illufions of dif-
tempered fanaticifm ; and the hermit, whofe midnight prayer was
opprefTed by involuntaiy flumber, might ealily confound the phan-
toms of horror or delight, which had occupied his fleeping, and his
waking dreams 6\

The monks were divided into two claffes : the Coenobites, who The Cceno-
lived under a common, and regular, difcipline ; and the Anachorets, Anachorets.
who indulged their unfocial, independent, fanaticifm 6+. The moft
tlevout, or the moft ambitious, of the fpiritual brethren, renounced

61 Fleury, Hilt. Ecclefiaftique, torn. vii. The devils were moft formidable in a female

p. 46. I have read fomewhere, in the Vitaj fliape.

Patrum, but I cannot recover the place, that 64 For the diftindlion of the Coenobites and
Jeveral, I believe many, of the monks, who the Hermits, efpecially in Egypt, fee Jerom
did not reveal their temptations to the abbot, (torn. i. p. 45. ad Rufticum), the firft Dia-
became guilty of fuicide. logue of Sulpicius Severus, Rufinus (c. zz,
63 Seethe feventh and eighth Collations in Vit. Patrum, 1. ii. p. 478.), Palladius (c
of Caflian, who gravely examines, why the 7. 69. in Vit. Patrum, 1. viii. p. 712. 758.)*
dx-mons were grown lefs aftive and nu- and above all, the eighteenth and nineteenth
merous, fince the time of St. Antony. Rof- Collations of Caifian. Thefe writers, who
weyde's^copious index to the Vitse Patrum compare the common, and folitary, life, re-
will point -out a variety of infernal fcenes. veal the abufe and danger of the latter.

3X2 the

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, the convent,- as they had renounced the world. The fervent mona-
xxrxvir. J

v— - * fteries of Egypt, Paleftine, and Syria, were furroimded by a Laura 6\

a diftant circle of folitary cells ; and the extravagant penance of the
Hermits was ftirnulated by applaufe and emulation 6S. They funk
under the painful weight of crofTes and chains ; and their emaciated
limbs were confined by collars, bracelets, gauntlets, and greaves, of
mafTy, and rigid, iron. All fuperfluous incumbrance of drefs they
contemptuoufly caft away ; and fome favage faints of both fexes
have been admired, whole naked bodies were only covered by their
long hair. They afpired to reduce themfelves to the rude and refer-
able ftate in which the human brute is fcarcely diftinguifhed above
his kindred animals: and a numerous feci of Anachorets derived their
name from their humble practice of grazing in the fields of Mefo-
potamia with the common herd f7. They often ufurped the den of
fome wild beaft whom they affected to refemble ; they buried them-
felves in fome gloomy cavern, which art or nature had fcooped out
of the rock ; and the marble quarries of Thebais are ftill inferibed
with the monuments of their penance 63. The moft perfect Hermits are
fuppofed to have palfed many days without food, many nights with-
out fleep, and many years without fpeaking ; and glorious was the
man (I abufe that name) who contrived any cell, or feat, of a pecu-
liar conftruction, which might expofe him, in the moft inconvenient
pofture, to the inclemency of the feafons.

rs Suicer. Thefaur. Ecclefiaft. torn. ii. p. 67 Sozomen, I. vi. c. 33. The great St.

205. 218. Thomaffin (Difcipline del'Eglife, Ephrem compofed a panegyric on thefe 30«<m4

torn. i. p. 1 501, 1502.) gives a good account or grazing monks (Tillemontj Mem< Ecclef;

of thefe cells. When Gerafimus founded his ... .

monaltery, in the wildernefs of Jordan, it ' vm" ^' 292')'

was accompanied by a Laura of feventy cells. " The P- Sicard (Miffions du Levant, torn.

66 Theodoret, in a large volume (the Phi- «• P- 217 — 233.) examined the caverns of the

lotheus in Vit. Patrum, 1. ix. p. 793 — 863.) Lower Thebais, with wonder and devotion.

has collected the lives and miracles of thirty The inferiptions are in the old Syriac cha-

Anachorets. Evagrius (1. i. c. 12.) more rafter> which was ufed by the ChrifHans of

briefly celebrates the monks and hermits of u . ,r ■
n . /. Habvflinia.

6 Among

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

Among thefe heroes of the monaftic life, the name and genius of %yXyrf'
Simeon Stylites 69 have been immortalized by the fingular invention <r — ~— *

r a Simeon

of an aerial pennance. At the age 01 thirteen, the young byrian stylites.
deferted the profeflion of a fhepherd, and threw himfelf into an 4V,D" 395 ~~
auftere monaftery. After a long and painful noviciate, in which
Simeon was repeatedly faved from pious fuicide, he eftablifhed his
refidence on a mountain, about thirty or forty miles to the Eafl of
Antioch. Within the fpace of a mandra, or circle of ftones, to
which he had attached himfelf by a ponderous chain, he afcended a
column, which was fuccefTively raifed from the height of nine, to
that of fixty, feet, from the ground 70. In this laft, and lofty, fta-
tion, the Syrian Anachoret refilled the heat of thirty fummers, and
the cold of as many winters. Habit and exercife inftruded him to
maintain his dangerous fituation without fear or giddinefs, and fuc-
cefTively to affume the different poftures of devotion. He fometimes
prayed in an eredt attitude, with his out-ftretched arms, in the figure
of a crofs; but his moft' familiar practice was that of bending his
meagre fkeleton from the forehead to the feet: and a curious fpec-
tator, after numbering twelve hundred and forty-four repetitions, at
length defifted from the endlefs account. The progrefs of an ulcer
in his thigh 71 might fhorten,. but it could not difturb, this celejiial
life ; and the patient Hermit expired, without defcending from his
column. A prince, who fhould capricioufly inflict fuch tortures,
would be deemed a tyrant ; but it would furpafs the power of

69 See Theodoret (in Vit. Patrum. 1. ix. chite&ure. The people who faw it from be-
p. S48 — 854.), Antony (in Vit. Patrum, low might be eafily deceived.

]. i. p. 170—177.), Cofmas (in Affeman. 71 I muft not conceal a piece of ancient

Bibliot. Oriental, torn. i. p. 239 — 253.), fcanda! concerning the origin of this ulcer.

Evagrius (1. i. c. 13, 14.), and Tillemont. It has been reported that the Devil, a/Turning

(Mem. Ecclef. torn. xv. p. 347 — 392.). an angelic form, invited him to afcend, like

70 The narrow circumference of two cubits, Elijah, into a fiery chariot. The faint too
or three feet, which Evagrius aligns for the haftily raifed his foot, and Satan feized the
fummit of the column, is inconfillent with moment of inflifting this chaftilement on his
xeafon, with fafts, and with the rules of ar- vanity.

a tyrant,

S26 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, a tyrant, to impofe a long and miferable exiftence on the re-
v_ -w- ■ ludant victims of his cruelty. This voluntary martyrdom muft
have gradually deftroyed the fenfibility both of the mind and body ;
nor can it be prefumed that the fanatics, who torment them-
felves, are fufceptible of any lively affection for the reft of man-
kind. A cruel unfeeling temper has diftinguifhed the monks of
every age and country : their ftern indifference, which is feldom
mollified by perfonal friendfhip, is inflamed by religious hatred ;
and their mercilefs zeal has ftrenuoufly adminiftered the holy office
of the Inquifition.

Miracles and The monaftic faints, who excite only the contempt and pity of a
ttemonks. philofopher, were refpected, and almoft adored, by the prince and
people. Succeffive crowds of pilgrims from Gaul and India faluted
the divine pillar of Simeon : the tribes of Saracens difputed in arms
the honour of his benediction; the queens of Arabia and Perfia
gratefully confeffed his fupernatural virtue; and the angelic Hermit
was confulted by the younger Theodofius, in the moft important
concerns of the church and ftate. His remains were tranfported from
the mountain of Teleniffa, by a folemn proceffion of the patriarch,
the mafter-general of the Eaft, fix bifhops, twenty-one counts or
tribunes, and fix thoufand foldiers ; and Antioch revered his bones,
as her glorious ornament and impregnable defence. The fame of
the apoftles and martyrs was gradually eclipfed by thefe recent and
popular Anachorets; the Chriftian world fell proftrate before their
ihrines ; and the miracles afcribed to their relics exceeded, at leaft
in number and duration, the fpiritual exploits of their lives. But
the golden legend of their lives 7i was embellifhed by the artful cre-

71 I know not how to felect or fpecify the of St. Martin. He reveres the monks of

miracles contained in the Vita Patrum of Rof- Egypt ; yet he infults them with the remark,

weyde, as the number very much exceeds the that they never raifed the dead ; whereas the

thoufand pages of that voluminous work, bifhop of Tours had reftored three dead men

An elegant fpecimen may be found in the to life.
.Dialogues of "Sulpicius Severus, and his life

dulity

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, 527

cfulity of their interefted brethren; and a believing age was eafily %}*v^n?'
perfuaded, that the flighted caprice of an Egyptian or a Syrian v. j
monk, had been fufficient to interrupt the eternal laws of the uni-
verfe. The favourites of Heaven were aecuftomed to cure inveterate
difeafes with a touch, a word, or a diftant mefiage ; and to expel the
mod obflinate daemons from the fouls, or bodies, which they pof-
felfed. They familiarly accofted, or imperioufly commanded, the
lions and ferpents . of the defert ; infufed vegetation into a faplefs-
trunk; fufpended iron on the furface of the water; paffed the Nile
on the back of a crocodile, and refrefhed themfelves in a fiery fur-
nace. Thefe extravagant tales, which difplay the fiction, without
the genius, of poetry, have ferioufly affected the reafon, the faith,

and the morals, of the ChrifHans» Their credulity debafed and viti- SuperfUtion

of the age.

ated the faculties of the mind : they corrupted the evidence of hif-
tory ; and fuperftition gradually extinguifhed the hoftile light of
philofophy and fcience. Every mode of religious worfhip which had
been practifed by the faints, every myfterious doctrine which they
believed, was fortified by the fanction of divine revelation, and all
the manly virtues were oppreffed by the fervile and pufillanimous
reign of the monks. If it be pofiible to meafure the interval, be-
tween the philofophic writings of Cicero and the facred legend of
Theodoret, between the character of Cato and that of Simeon, we
may appreciate the memorable revolution which was accomplifhed
in the Roman empire within a period of five hundred years.

II. The progrefs of Chriftianity has been marked by two glorious n, Convert
and decifive victories: over the learned and luxurious citizens of the p °N°F0THE

.DARBAR1-

Roman empire ; and over the warlike Barbarians of Scythia and
Germany, who fubverted the empire, and embraced the religion, of
the Romans. The Goths were the foremoft of thefe favage profe-
Iytes ; and the nation was indebted for its converfion to a country-
man, or, at leafl, to a fubject, worthy to be ranked among the

inventors

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, inventors of ufeful arts, who have deferred the remembrance and

xxxvii. '

v». — g > gratitude of pofterity. A great number of Roman provincials had

been led away into captivity by the Gothic bands, who ravaged Afia
in the time of Gallienus : and of thefe captives, many were Chrif-
■tians, and feveral belonged to the ecclefiaftical order. Thofe invo-
luntary miftionaries, difperfed as flaves in the villages of Dacia,
fucceflively laboured for the falvation of their matters. The feeds,
which they planted of the evangelic doctrine, were gradually propa-
gated ; and, before the end of a century, the pious work was atchieved
by the labours of Ulphilas, whofe anceftors had been tranfported be-
yond the Danube from a fmall town of Cappadocia.

JTipMlas, Ulphilas, the bifhop and apoftle of the Goths acquired their

apoftle of _ r • r t - 3 r •

the Goths, love and reverence by his blamelefs life and indefatigable zeal ; and
a^d. 360, ^ received, with implicit confidence, the doctrines of truth and
virtue, which he preached and praclifed. He executed the arduous
talk of tranflating the Scriptures into their native tongue, a dialed:
of the German, or Teutonic, language ; but he prudently fupprefled
the four books of Kings, as they might tend to irritate the fierce
and fanguinary fpirit of the Barbarians. The rude, imperfect, idiom
of foldicrs and ihepherds, fo ill-qualified to communicate any fpiri-
tual ideas, was improved and modulated by his genius; and Ulphi-
las, before he could frame his verfion, was obliged to compofe a
new alphabet of twenty-four letters ; four of which he invented, to
exprefs the peculiar founds that were unknown to the Greek, and
Latin, pronunciation 7\ But the profperous ftate of the Gothic

73 On the fubjeft of Ulphilas, and the nimient of the Teutonic language, though

converfion of the Goths. See Sozcmen, 1. Wetltein attempts, by fome frivolous conje^-

vi. c. 57. Socr.ites, 1. iv. c. 33. T-heo- tures, to deprive Ulphilas of the honour of

doret, 1. iv. c. 37. Philoftorg. 1. ii. c. 5. the work. Two of the four additional let-

The herefy of Philoftorgius appears to have ters exprefs the IF, and our own Tb. See

given hi m fuperior means of information. Simon. Hill. Critique du Nouveau Tef-

7A A mutilated copy of the four Gofpels, tament, torn. 'ii. p. 219—223. Mill. Pro-"

in the Gothic verfion, was publilhed A. D. legom. p. 151. edit. Kufter. Wetftein,

--1665, and is efteemed the moll ancier.t mo- Proiegom. torn. i. 114.

church

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, 529

church was foon afflicted by war and interline difcord, and the chief- c J* A,,p"
tains were divided by religion as well as by intereft. Fritigern, the v.. -v-
friend of the Romans, became the profelyte of Ulphilas ; "While the
haughty foul of Afhanaric difdained the yoke of the empire, and of
the Gofpel. The faith of the new converts was tried by the perfe-
ction which he excited. A waggon, bearing aloft the fhapelefs
image, of Trior, perhaps, or of Woden, was conducted in folemn
proceffion through the ftreets of the camp ; and the rebels, who
refufed to worfhip the God of their fathers, were immediately burnt,
with their tents and families. The character of Ulphilas recom-
mended him to the efteem of the Eaftern court, where he twice ap-
peared as the minifter of peace ; he pleaded the caufe of the diftrefTed
Goths, who implored the protection of Valens ; and the name of
fylofes was applied to this fpiritual guide, who conducted his people,
through the deep waters of the Danube, to the Land of Promife 7S.
The devout fhepherds, who were attached to his perfon, and tractable
to his voice, acquiefced in their fettlement, at the foot of the Msefian
mountains, in a country of woodlands and paftures, which fup-
ported their flocks and herds, and enabled them to purchafe the
corn and wine of the more plentiful provinces. Thefe harmlefs
Barbarians multiplied, in obfeure peace, and the profeffion of Chrilti-
anity .

Their fiercer brethren, the formidable Vifigoths, univerfally adopt- The Goths,
ed the religion of the Romans, with whom they maintained a per- Burgundi-
petual intercourfe, of war, of friendfhip, or of conqueft. In their ^brace
long and victorious march from the Danube to the Atlantic ocean, ChriftHtnity,

' A. D. 400,
&c.

75 Philoftorgius erroneoufly places this paf- pi&ure of thefe Ieffer Goths. Gothi Mi-
fage under the reign of Conftantine ; but I nores, populus immenfus, cum fuo Pontifice
am much inclined to believe that it preceded ipfoque primate Wulfila. The laft words,
the great emigration. if they are not mere tautology, imply fome

76 We are obliged to Jornandes (de Reb. temporal jurisdiction.
Get. c. 51. p. 638.) for a fliort and lively

Vol. III. 3 Y / they

53°

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. they converted their allies ; they educated the rifing generation ; and
\__ -w- the devotion which reigned in the camp of Alaric, or the court of
Thouloufe, might edify, or difgrace, the palaces of Rome and Con-
ftantinople 11 . During the fame period, Chriftianity was embraced
by almoft all the Barbarians, who eftablifhed their kingdoms on the
ruins of the Weftern empire; the Burgundians in Gaul, the SuevL
in Spain, the Vandals in Africa, the Oftrogoths in Pannonia, and
the various bands of Mercenaries, that raifed Odoacer to the throne
of Italy. The Franks and the Saxons ftill perfevered in the errors
of Paganifm; but the Franks obtained the monarchy of Gaul by their
fubmiffion to the example of Clovis ; and the Saxon conquerors of
Britain were reclaimed from their favage fuperftition by the miflion-
aries of Rome. Thefe Barbarian profelytes difplayed an ardent and
fuccefsful zeal in the propagation of the faith. The Merovingian
kings,, and their fuccefTors, Charlemagne and the Othos, extended,
by their laws and victories, the dominion of the crofs. England
produced the apoftle of Germany; and the evangelic light was gra-
dually difFufed from the neighbourhood of the Rhine, to the nations
of the Elbe, the Viltula, and the Baltic 7S.
Motives of The different motives which influenced the reafon, or the paf-
th«r faith. £ons> 0f the Barbarian converts, cannot eafily be afcertained. They
wTere often capricious and accidental ; a dream, an omen, the report
of a miracle, the example of fome prieft, or hero, the charms of a
believing wife, and above all, the fortunate event of a prayer, or
vow, which, in a moment of danger, they had addreffed to the God
of the Chriflians 79. The early prejudices of education were infen-

77 At non ita Gothi non ita Vandali; jett would afford materials for an ecclefiafti-
malis licet doctoribus inftituti, meliores tamen cal, and even philofophical, hiftory.

etiam in hac parte quam npltri. Salvian de n To fuch a caufe has Socrates (I. vii.

Gubern. Dei, 1. vii. p. 243. c. 30.) afciibed the converiion of the Bur-

78 Molheim- has flightly Iketched the pro- gundians, vvhofe Chriltian piety is celebrated
grefs of Chriftianity in the North, frora the by Orofius (1. vii. c. 19.).

fourth to the fourteenth century. The fub-

fibl?

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 531

fibly erazed by the habits of frequent and familiar fociety; the moral ^xxvu'
precepts of the Gofpel were protected by the extravagant virtues of » 1
the monks; and a fpiritual theology was fupported by the vifible
power of relics, and the pomp of religious worfhip. But the rational
and ingenious mode of perfuafion, which a Saxon bifhop 80 fuggefted
to a popular faint, might fometimes be employed by the miffionaries,
who laboured for the converfion of infidels. u Admit," fays the
fagacious difputant, " whatever they are pleafed to affert of the fabu-
" lous, and carnal, genealogy of their gods and goddeffes, who are
" propagated from each other. From this principle deduce their
" imperfect nature, and human infirmities, the affurance they were
" bom, and the probability that they will die. At what time, by
" what means, from wThat caufe, were the eldeft of the gods or god-
" defies produced ? Do they ftill continue, or have they ceafed, to
*' propagate ? If they have ceafed, fummon your antagonifts to de-
" clare the reafon of this ftrange alteration. If they ftill continue,
" the number of the gods muft become infinite ; and fhall we not
" riik, by the indifcreet worihip of fome impotent deity, to excite
" the refentment of his jealous fuperior ? The vifible heavens and
" earth, the whole fyftem of the univerfe, which may be conceived
" by the mind, is it created or eternal ? If created, how, or where,
" could the gods themfelves exift before the creation ? If eternal,
^ " how could they affume the empire of an independent and pre-
" exifting world? Urge thefe arguments with temper and modera-
" tion ; infinuate, at feafonable intervals, the truth, and beauty, of
" the Chriftian revelation ; and endeavour to make the unbelievers
" afhamed, without making them angry." This metaphyfical rea-
foning, too refined perhaps for the Barbarians of Germany, was for-

80 See an original and curious epiftle preached the Gofpel among the Savages of

from Daniel, the firft bifhop of Winchefter Hefle and Thuringia. Epiftol. Bonifacii,

(Beda, Hift. Ecclef. Anglorum, 1. v. c. 18. lxvii. in the Maxima Bjbliotheca Patrum,

p. 20j. edit. Smith), to St. Boniface, who torn. xiii. p. 93.

3 Y 2 tified

THE DECLINE AND FALL

%xxvn' tl^ec^ t^ie Sro^"er weight °f authority and popular confent. The ad-
v- — v-„^/ vantage of temporal profperity had deferted the Pagan caufe, and palfed
over to the fervice of Chriftianity. The Romans themfelves, the
moft powerful and enlightened nation of the globe, had renounced
their ancient fuperftition ; and, if the ruin of their empire feemed to
accufe the efficacy of the new faith, the difgrace was already retrieved
by the converfion of the victorious Goths. The valiant and fortu-
nate Barbarians, who fubdued the provinces of the Weft, fuccef-
fively received, and reflected, the fame edifying example. Before
the age of Charlemagne, the Chriftian nations of Europe might exult
in the exclufive poffefTion of the temperate climates, of the fertile
lands, which produced corn, wine, and oil; while the favage idola-
ters, and their helplefs idols, were confined to the extremities of the
earth, the dark and frozen regions of the North Sl.
Effeas of Chriftianity, which opened the gates of Heaven to the Barbarians,

their con- J 1 ° J

verfion, introduced an important change in their moral and political condi-
tion. They received, at the fame time, the life of letters, fo elfential
to a religion whofe doctrines are contained in a facred book ; and
while they ftudied the divine truth, their minds were infenfibly en-
larged, by the diftant view of hiftory, of nature, of the arts, and of
fociety. The verfion of the Scriptures into their native tongue,
which had facilitated their converfion, muft excite, among their
clergy, fome curiofity to read the original text, to underftand the
facred liturgy of the church, and to examine, in the writings of the
fathers, the chain of eccrefiaftical tradition. Thefe fpiritual gifts
were preferved in the Greek and Latin languages, which concealed
the ineftimable monuments of ancient learning. The immortal pro-
ductions of Virgil, Cicero, and Livy, which were accemble to the

81 The fword of Charlemagne added weight who reigned from India to Spain, might
. to the argument; but when Daniel wrote have retorted it againlt the Christians,

this epiftle (A. D. 723.) the Mahometans,

Chriftian

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 53:

Chriftian Barbarians, maintained a filent intercourfe between the CHAP.

. . XXXVII.
reign of Auguftus, and the times of Clovis and Charlemagne. The «— — v »

emulation of mankind was encouraged by the remembrance of a
more perfect ftate ; and the flame of fcience was fecretly kept alive, to
warm and enlighten the mature age of the Weftern world. In the
moft corrupt ftate of Chriftianity, the Barbarians might learn juftice
from the laut)y and mercy from the go/pel : and if the knowledge of
their duty was infufficient to guide their actions, or to regulate their
paffions ; they were fometimes reftrained by confcience, and frequently
punifhed by remorfe. But the direct authority of religion was lefs
effectual, than the holy communion which united them with their
Chriftian brethren in fpiritual friendfhip. The influence of thefe
fentiments contributed to fecure their fidelity in the fervice, or the
alliance, of the Romans, to alleviate the horrors of war, to moderate
the infolence of conqueft, and to preferve, in the downfall of the
empire, a permanent refpect for the name and inftitutions of Rome.
In the days of Paganifm, the priefts of Gaul and Germany reigned
over the people, and controuled the jurifdiction of the magiftrates ;
and the zealous profelytes transferred an equal, or more ample, mea-
fure of devout obedience, to the pontiffs of the Chriftian faith. The
{acred character of the bifhops was fupported by their temporal
poffeflions ; they obtained an honourable feat in the legiflative affem-
blies of foldiers and freemen ; and it was their intereft, as well as
their duty, to mollify, by peaceful counfels, the fierce fpirit of the
Barbarians. The perpetual correfpondence of the Latin clergy, the
frequent pilgrimages to Rome and Jerufalem, and the growing au-
thority of the Popes, cemented the union of the Chriftian republic:
and gradually produced the fimilar manners, and common jurifpru-
dence, which have diftinguiflied, from the reft: of mankind, the
independent, and even hoftile, nations of modern Europe.

But

534

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. ;gat t|ie operation of thefe caufes was checked and retarded by the

XXX VII.

— — rs unfortunate accident, which infufed a deadly poifon into the cup of

They are in- . ( - . - .

volved in the Salvation. W hatever might be the early fentiments of Ulphilas, his
ere y. conneftions witli the empire and the church were formed during

the reign of Arianifm. The apoftle of the Goths fubfcribed the creed
of Rimini ; profeiTed with freedom, and perhaps with fincerity, that
the Son was not equal, or confubftantial to the Father81; com-
municated thefe errors to the clergy and people ; and infected the
Barbaric world w ith an herefy 83, which the great Theodofius pro-
fcribed and extinguifhed among the Romans. The temper and un-
derftanding of the new profelytes were not adapted to metaphyfical
fubtleties; but they ftrenuoufly maintained, what they had pioufly
received, as the pure and genuine doctrines of Chriftianity. The
advantage of preaching and expounding the Scriptures in the Teuto-
nic language, promoted the apoftolic labours of Ulphilas, and his
fucceffors ; and they ordained a competent number of bifhops and
prefbyters, for the inftruclion of the kindred tribes. The Oltro-
goths, the Burgundians, the Suevi, and the Vandals, who had
liftened to the eloquence of the Latin clergy **, preferred the more
intelligible ieflbns of their domeftic teachers ; and Arianifm was
adopted as the national faith of the warlike converts, who were

81 The opinions of Ulphilas and the " erroris arfuri funt." Orofius, 1. vii. c.

.Goths inclined to Semi- Arianifm, fince they 33. p. 554. This cruel fentence is coniirm-

would not fay that the Son was a creature, ed by Tillemont (Mem. Ecclef. torn. vi.

though they held communion with thofe who p. 604 — 610.), who coolly obferves, '* un

maintained that herefy. Their apoftle re- " feul homme entraina dans 1'enfer un nom-

prefented the whole controverfy as a que- " bre infini de Septentrionaux, &c." Sal-

ftion of trifling moment, which had been vian (de Gubern. Dei, 1. v. p. 150, 151.)

raifed by the paffions of the clergy. Theo- pities and excufes their involuntary error,

doret. I. iv. c. 37. 8* Orofius affirms, in the year 416 (I. vii.

83 The Arianifm of the Goths has been c. 41. p. 580.), that the churches of Chrift

imputed to the emperor Valens : " Itaque (of the Catholics) were filled with Hun?,

~Ci jufto Dei judicio ipfi eum vivum incende- Suevi, Vandals, Burgundians.
** xuntf qui propter eum etiam mortui, vitio

4 ifeated

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. SM

feated on the ruins of the Weftern empire. This irreconcilable dif- cv^v^nT''
ference of religion was a perpetual fource of jealoufy and hatred ; — '
and the reproach of Barbarian was embittered by the more odious
epithet of Heretic. The heroes of the North, who had fubmitted,
with fome reluctance, to believe that all their anceftors were in
Hell8s; were aftonifhed and exafperated to learn, that they them-
felves had only changed the mode of their eternal condemnation.
Inftead of the fmooth applaufe, which Chriftian kings are accuftomed
to expect from their loyal prelates, the orthodox bifhops and their
clergy were in a ftate of oppofition to the Arian courts; and their
indifcreet oppofition frequently became criminal, and might fome-
times be dangerous 86. The pulpit, that fafe and facred organ of
{edition, refounded with the names of Pharaoh and Holofernes 87 ;
the public difcontent was inflamed by the hope or promife of a glo-
rious deliverance ; and the feditious faints were tempted to promote
the accomplifhment of their own predictions. Notwithstanding thefe Genera?
provocations, the Catholics of Gaul, Spain, and Italy, enjoyed, un- toleratloIW
der the reign of the Arians, the free, and peaceful, exercife of their
religion. Their haughty mafters refpected the zeal of a numerous
people, refolved to die at the foot of their altars; and the example of
their devout conftancy was admired and imitated by the Barbarians
themfelves. The conquerors evaded, however, the difgraceful re-
-pr.oach, or confeffion, of fear, by attributing their toleration to the
liberal motives of reafon and humanity ; and while they affected the
language, they imperceptibly imbibed the fpirit, of genuine Chrifti-
anity.

85 Radbod, king of the Frffons, was fo dians, explain, fomctimes in dark hints, the
much fcandalized by this rafli declaration of general difpofitions of the Catholics. The '
a miflionary, that he drew back his foot af- hiitory of Clovis and Theodoric will fuggeii
ter he had entered the baptifmal font. See fome particular fafts.

Fleury Hilt. Ecclef. tom. ix. p. 167. 37 Genferic confeiTed the refemblance, by

*6 The Epiftles of Sidonius, bilhop of the feverity with which he puniihed fuch in-
Glermont, under the Vifigoths, and of Avi- difcreet allufions. Victor Vitcnfis, 1. 7,
tus, bilhop of Vienna, under the Burgun- p. 10.

The

536 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. The peace of the church was fometimes interrupted. The Catho-
XXXVII. ... . . .

' lies were indifcreet, the Barbarians were impatient; and the partial

anion of the acts of feverity or injuftice which had been recommended by the
Vandals. Arian clergy, were exaggerated by the orthodox writers. The guilt
of perfecution may be imputed to Euric, king of the Vifigoths; who
fufpended the exercife of ecclefiaftical, or at leaft, of epifcopal, func-
tions ; and puniihed the popular bifhops of Aquitain with impri-
fonment, exile, and conhYcation 88. But the cruel and abfurd enter-
prife of fubduing the minds of a whole people, was undertaken by
<ienferic, the Vandals alone. Genferic himfelf, in his early youth, had re-
A.Y). 429— nouncecj tne orthodox communion ; and the apoftate could neither
grant, nor expect, a fincere forgivenefs. He was exafperated to
find, that the Africans, who had fled before him in the field, ftill
prefumed to difpute his will in fynods and churches ; and his fero-
cious mind was incapable of fear, or of companion. His Catholic
fubjects were opprefled by intolerant laws, and arbitrary punimments.
The language of Genferic was furious, and formidable ; the know-
ledge of his intentions might juftify the rnoft unfavourable interpret-
ation of his actions; and the Arians were reproached with the fre-
quent executions, which ftained the palace, and the dominions, of
the tyrant. Arms and ambition were, however, the ruling pamons
Hnr.neric, of the monarch of the fea. But Hunneric, his inglorious fon, who
A. D. 477. fcemec[ to inherit only his vices, tormented the Catholics with the
fame unrelenting fury, which had been fatal to his brother, his ne-
phews, and the friends and favourites of his father : and, even to
the Arian patriarch, who was inhumanly burnt alive in the midft of
Carthage. The religious war was preceded and prepared by an infi-
dious truce ; perfecution was made the ferious and important bufinefs

83 Such are the contemporary complaints 25. in torn. ii. p. 174.) extorts an unwar-

cf Sidonius, bifhop of Clermont (I. vii. rantable aflertion, that of the nine vacancies

c. 6. p. 1S2, &c. edit. Sirmond.). Gregory in Aquitain, fome had been produced by epif-

£>f Tours, who quotes this Epiftle (1. ii. c. copal martyrdoms.

3 of

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

of the Vandal court; and the loathfome difeaie, which haftened the ^ H A |\

death of Hunneric, revenged the injuries, without contributing to ■ , '

the deliverance, of the church. The throne of Africa was fuccefTively
filled by the two nephews of Hunneric ; by Gundamund, who Gunda-
reigned about twelve, and by Thrafnnund, who governed the na- "1*1).' 484.
tion above twenty-feven, years. Their adminiftration was hoftile
and oppreffive to the orthodox party. Gundamund appeared to
emulate, or even to furpafs, the cruelty of his uncle ; and, if at
length he relented, if lie recalled the bilhops, and reftored the free-
dom of Athanafian worfhip, a praemature death intercepted the be-
nefits of his tardy clemency. His brother, Thrafimund, was the Thrafimund,
greateft and moft accomplished of the Vandal kings, whom he ex- A* °
celled in beauty, prudence, and magnanimity of foul. But this
magnanimous character was degraded by his intolerant zeal and de*
ceitful clemency* Inftead of threats and tortures, he employed the
gentle, but efficacious, powers of feduction. Wealth, dignity, and
the royal favour, were the liberal rewards of apoftacy ; the Catholics,
who had violated the laws, might purchafe their pardon by the re-
nunciation of their faith ; and whenever Thrafimund meditated any
rigorous meafure, he patiently waited till the indifcretion of his ad-
verfaries furnifhed him with a fpecious opportunity. Bigotry was
his laft fentiment in the hour of death; and he exacted from his
fucceffor a folemn oath, that he would never tolerate the fectaries of
Athanafius. But his fucceflbr, Hilderic, the gentle fon of the lavage HUctenCi

A. D. c 2^ -

Hunneric, preferred the duties of humanity and juflice, to the vain ' ' 5
obligation of an impious oath; and his acceffion was glorioufly
marked by the reftoration of peace and univerfal freedom. The
throne of that virtuous, though feeble monarch, was umrped by his
coufin Gelimer, a zealous Arian: but the Vandal kingdom, before GeKmeti
he could enjoy or abufe his power, was fubverted by the arms of A' D' v>-'
Voi« III. 3 Z Bclifariusj

538

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXXVII.

A general
view of the
perfecutioa
in Africa.

Belifarius; and the orthodox party retaliated the injuries which they
had endured 8s>.

The paflionate declamations of the Catholics, the fole hiftorians of
this perfecution, cannot afford any diftinct feries of caufes and events ;
any impartial view of characters, or counfels ; but the moft remark-
able circumftances, that deferve either credit or notice, may be re-
ferred to the following heads : I. In the original law, which is ftill
extant 9°, Hunneric exprefsly declares, and the declaration appears to
be correct, that he had faithfully tranfcribed the regulations and
penalties of the Imperial edi&s; againft the heretical congregations,
the clergy, and the people, who diffented from the eftablifhed reli-
gion. If the rights of confcience had been underftood, the Catholics
muft have condemned their paft conduct, or acquiefced in their actual
fufferings. But they ftill perfifted to refufe the indulgence whic!*
they claimed. While they trembled under the lain of perfecution^
they praifed the laudable feverity of Hunneric himfelf, who burnt or
banifhed great numbers of Manichseans 91 ; and they rejected, with
horror, the ignominious compromife,. that the difciples of Anils',
and of Athanafius, mould enjoy a reciprocal and fimilar toleration
in the territories of the Romans, and in thofe of the Vandals 9\

*9 The original monuments of the Vandal
perfecution are preferved in the five books of
the Hiilory of Victor Vitenfis (de Perfecutione
Vandalica), a bifhop who was exiled by Hun-
neric ; in the Life of St. Fulgentius, who was
tiiili nguifhed in the perfecution of Thrafi-
mond (in Biblioth. Max. Patrum, torn. ix.
p. 4—16.), and in the full book of the Van-
dalic War, by the impartial Procopius (c. 7,
8. p. 196, 197, 198, 199.). Dom Rui-
nart, the laft editor of Victor, has illuftrated
the whole fubjecl with a copious and learned
apparatus of notes and fupplement (Paris,
I 6, 4.).

"° Viclor. iv. 2. p. 65. Hunneric refufes

the name of Catholics to the Homooufiant.
He defcribes, as the veri Divinae Majeftatis
cultores, his own party, who profeffed the
faith, confirmed by more than a thcufand
bifhops, in the fynods of Rimini and Se-
leucia.

Viftor. Ili I. p. 21, 22. Laudabilicr
. . . videbatur. In the MSS. which omk
this word, the paflage is unintelligible. See
Ruinart. Not. p. 164.

91 Viclor. ii. 2. p. 22, 23. The clergy
of Carthage called thefe conditions, pericu-
lofte ; and they feem, indeed, to have been
propofed as a fnare to entrap the Catholic
bifhops.

II. The

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

II. The practice of a conference, which the Catholics had do fre- c H A p-
1 ... XXXVII.

quently ufed to infult and punifh their obftinate antagonifts, was v— -v—

retorted againft themfelves 9\ At the command of Hunneric, four
hundred and fixty-fix orthodox bifhops affembled at Carthage ; but
when they were admitted into the hall of audience, they had the morti-
fication of beholding the Arian Cirila exalted on the patriarchal throne.
The difputants were feparated, after the mutual and ordinary re-
proaches of noife and filence, of delay and precipitation, of military
force and of popular clamour. One martyr and one confeffor were
felected among the Catholic bifhops ; twenty-eight efcaped by flight,
and eighty-eight by conformity ; forty-fix were fent into Corfica to
cut timber for the royal navy ; and three hundred and two were
banifhed to the different parts of Africa, expofed to the infults of
their enemies, and carefully deprived of all the temporal and fpiritual
comforts of life 9\ The hardfhips of ten years exile muft have re-
duced their numbers ; and if they had complied with the law of
Thrafimund, which prohibited any epifcopal confecrations, the or-
thodox church of Africa muft have expired with the lives of its
actual members. They difobeyed ; and their difobedience was pu-
nifhed by a fecond exile of two hundred and twenty bifhops into
Sardinia; where they languifhed fifteen years, till the accefhon of
the gracious Hilderic 95. The two iflands were judicioufly chofen by

93 See the narrative of this conference, ss Fulgent. Vit. c. 16—29. Thrafimund
and the treatment of the bifhops, in Victor, affe&ed the praife of moderation and learn-
ii. 13 — 18. p. 35— 42. and the whole fourth ing; and Fulgentius addrefl'ed three books of
book, p. 63 — 171. The third book, p. 42 — controverfy to the Arian tyrant, whom he
62. is entirely filled by their apology or con- ftyles piijfime Rex. Biblioth. Maxim. Pa-
feffion of faith. trum, torn, ix. p. 41. Only fixty bifhops

94 See the lift of the African bifhops, in are mentioned as exiles in the life of Ful-
Vi&or. p. 117 — 140. and Ruinart's notes, gentius, they are increafed to one hundred
p. 215 — 397. The fchifmatic name of Do- and twenty by Viflor Tunnunenfis, and
natus frequently occurs, and they appear to Jfidore ; but the number of two hundred and
fcave adopted (like our fanatics of the laft twenty is fpecified in the Hijlaria Mi/tellm,
age) the pious appellations of Deodatus, and a fhort authentic chronicle of the times.
Peogratias, Quidvultdeus, Habetdeum, &c. See Jluinart. p. 570, 571..

3 Z 2 the

THE DECLINE AND FALL

the malice of their Avian tyrants. Seneca, from his own experience,
has deplored and exaggerated the miferable ftate of Corfica 96, and the
plenty of Sardinia was overbalanced by the unwholefome quality of
the air97. III. The zeal of Genferic, and his fucceflbrs, for the
converfion of the Catholics, mull have rendered them ftill more jea-
lous to guard the purity of the Vandal faith. Before the churches
were finally fhut, it was a crime to appear in a Barbarian drefs ; and
thole who prefumed to neglect the royal mandate, were rudely
dragged backwards by their long hair 9\ The Palatine officers, who
refufed to profefs the religion of their prince, were ignominioufly
ftripped of their honours, and employments ; banifhed to Sardinia
and Sicily ; or condemned to the fervile labours of flaves and pea-
fants in the fields of Utica. In the diftricts which had been pecu-
liarly allotted to the Vandals, the exercife of the Catholic worfhip
was more ftrictly prohibited; and fevere penalties were denounced
againft the guilt, both of the miflionary, and the profelyte. By
thefe arts, the faith of the Barbarians was preferved, and their zeal
was inflamed : they difcharged, with devout fury, the office of fpies,
informers, or executioners; and whenever their cavalry took the
field, it was the favourite amufement of the march, to defile the
churches, and to infult the clergy of the adverfe faction IV. The
citizens who had been educated in the luxury of the Roman pro-
vince, were delivered, with exquifite cruelty,, to the Moors of the
defert. A venerable train of bifhops, prefbyters, and deacons, with a

56 See the bafe and infipid epigrams of the 98 See thefe preludes of a general perfecu-

Stoic, who could not fupport exile with more tion, in Viftor. ii. 3, 4. 7. and the two

fortitude than Ovid. Corfica might not edidls of Hunneric, 1. ii. p. 35.I. iv. p. 64.

produce corn, wine, or oil ; but it could not 99 See Procopius de Bell. Vandal. 1. i.

be deftitute of grafs, water, and even fire. c. 7. p. 197, 198. A Moorifh prince endea-

97 Si ob gravitatem cceli interifTent, vile vouted to propitiate the God of the Chrift-

damnum. Tacit. Annal. ii. 85. In this ians, by his diligence to eraze the marks of

application, Thrafimund would have adopted the Vandal facrilege.
the reading of fome critics, utile damnum.

faithful

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 541

faithful crowd of four thoufand and ninety-fix perfons, whofe guilt ^^.^.J*

AAA V 11.

is not precifely afcertained, were torn from their native homes, by ' — -v *

the command of Hunneric. During the night they were confined,
like a herd of cattle, amidft their own ordure: during the day they
purfued their march over the burning fands; and if they fainted
under the heat and fatigue, they were goaded, or dragged along,
till they expired in the hands of their tormentors IO°. Thefe unhappy
exiles, when they reached the Moorifh huts, might excite the com-
panion of a people, whofe native humanity was neither improved
by reafon, nor corrupted by fanaticifm: but if they efcaped the dan-
gers, they were condemned to fliare the diftrefs, of a favage life.
V. It is incumbent on the authors of perfecution previoufly to re-
Heel, whether they are determined to fupport it in the laft extreme.
They excite the flame which they ftrive to extinguifh ; and it foon
becomes neceffary to chaftife the contumacy, as well as the crime, of
the offender. The fine, which he is unable or unwilling, to dif-
charge, expofes his perfon to the feverity of the law ; and his con-
tempt of lighter penalties fuggefts the ufe and propriety of capital
punifhment. Through the veil of fiction and declamation, we may
clearly perceive, that the Catholics, more efpecially under the reign
of Hunneric, endured the moft cruel and ignominious treatment 10\.
Refpectable citizens, noble matrons, and confecrated virgins, were
- ftripped naked, and railed in the air by pullies, with a weight fufpended
at their feet. In this painful attitude their naked bodies were torn
with fcourges, or burnt in the moft tender parts with red-hot plates
of iron. The amputation of the ears, the nofe, the tongue, and the
right-hand, was inflicted by the Arians ; and although the precife
number cannot be defined, it is evident that many perfons, among

100

See this ftory in Vi&or. ii. 8 — 12. p. fionate complaints are confirmed by the fober
30 — 34. Victor defcribes the diftrefs of teftimony of Procopius, and the public de-
thefe confeflbrs as an eye-witnefs. claration of the emperor Juftinian. (Cod.

101 See the fifth book of Vittor. His paf- Li. tit. xxvii.)

whom

THE DECLINE AND FALL

vvvwrP" Whom a bifhop 101 and a proconful 103 may be named, were entitled

AAA \ J I ,

to the crown of martyrdom. The fame honour has been afcribed to
the memory of count Sebaftian, who profeffed the Nicene creed with
unfhaken eonftancv; and Genferk might deteft, as an heretic, the
brave and ambitious fugitive whom he dreaded as a rival ,0+. VI. A
new mode of converfion, which might fubdue the feeble, and alarm
the timorous, was employed by the Arian miniflers. They impofed,
by fraud or violence, the rites of baptifm ; and punifhed the apo-
£acy of the Catholics, if they difclaimed this .odious and profane
ceremony, which fcandaloufly violated the freedom of the will, and
the unity of the facrament '"5. The hoftile feels had formerly allowed
the validity of each other's baptifm ; and the innovation, fo fiercely
maintained by the Vandals, can be imputed only to the example and
advice of the Donatifts. VII. The Arian clergy furpafled, in reli-
gious cruelty, the king and his Vandals ; but they were incapable of
cultivating the fpiritual vineyard, which they were fo defirous to
poffefs. A patriarch ,c6 might feat himfelf on the throne of Carthage;
fome bifhops, in the principal cities, might ufurp the place of their
rivals ; but the fmallnefs of their numbers, and their ignorance of the
Latin language IC7, difqualified the Barbarians for the ecclefiaftical
minrftry of a great church ; and the Africans, after the lofs of their

,61 Viftor. ii. 18. p. 41. the bifhop of Carthage: tut the name of

*°3 Viftor. v. 4. p. 74, 75. His name patriarch was given by the fefts and nations

was Viftorknus, and he was a wealthy citi- to their principal ecclefiaitic. See Thomaf-

zen of Adrumetam, who enjoyed the confi- fin, Difcipline de l'Eglife, torn. i. p. 15;.

dence of the king; by whofe favour he had 158.

obtained the office, or at leaft the title, of 107 The patriarch Cyrila himfelf publicly

proconful of Africa. declared, that he did not underftand Latin

,c* Viftor. i. 6. p. 8, 9. After relating (Viftor. ii. 18. p. 42.) ; Nefcio Latine ;

the firm refiftancc and dextrous reply of count and he might converfe with tolerable eafe,

Sebaftian, he adds, quare alio generis argu- without being capable of difputing or pre^ch-

mento poftea bellicofum virum occidit. ingin that language. His Vandal clergy were

105 Viftcr. v. 12, 13. Tillemont, Mem. ftill more ignorant; and fmall confidence
Ecclcf. tcm. vi. p. 6cj, could be placed in the Africans who had

106 Primate was more properly the title of conformed.

orthodox

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

543)

orthodox paftors, were deprived of the public exercife of Chriftia- %vvvi?'
nity. VIII. The emperors were the natural protectors of the Ho- s. .^-..j
mooufian doctrine : and the faithful people of Africa, both as Ro-
mans and as Catholics, preferred their lawful fovereignty to the
usurpation of the Barbarous heretics. During an interval of peace
and friendship, Hunneric reftorecf the cathedral of Carthage ; at the
interce/Iion of Zeno, who reigned in the Eaft, and of Placidia, the
daughter and relict of emperors, and the fifter of the queen of the
Vandals l°\ But this decent regard was of fhort duration ; and the
haughty tyrant difplayed his contempt for the religion of the Empire,
by ftudioufly arranging the bloody images of perfecution, in all the
principal Streets through which the Roman ambalTador muft pals in
his way to the palace I09. An oath was required from the bimops,
who were alTembled at Carthage, that they would fupport the fuc^
cefTion of his fon Hilderic, and that they would renounce all foreign
or tranfmarine correfpondence. This engagement, conliftent as it
mould feem, with their moral and religious duties, was refufed by
the more fagacious members "° of the aiTembly. Their refufal,
faintly coloured by the pretence that it is unlawful for a Chriflian to
fwear, muft provoke the fufpicions of a jealous tyrant.

The Catholics, oppreffed by royal and military force, were far Catholic
fuperior to their adverfaries in numbers and learning. With the
fame weapons which the Greek and Latin fathers had already
provided for the Arian controverfy, they repeatedly filenced, or van-

103 Vittor. ii. iyz. p. 22. hundred and twowhofwore, were distributed

too tt 1 through the provinces of Africa.

109 Victor, v. 7. p. 77. He appeals to ..-„,•. , •„ r n r • ,
v u tr j l.- r if t. r ruleentius, biihcp of iCulpae, in the

the ambaitador himfelf, whole name was b . ' r r • ,

Uranius Byzacene province, was of a ienatonal fa--

milv, and had received a liberal education.

" M Aftutiores, Vittor. ir. 4. p. 70. He He'C0llld repeat all Homer and Menander

plainly intimates that their quotation of the before hfi waj a„owed tQ ftud Lalin> hh n3_

Gofpel " Non jurabitis in toto," was only „■ „. t. « . a<v;

r 111 .it , . tive tonpue (Vit. r ulgent. c. 1 .). Many Arn-

meant to elude the obligation of an incon- can underftand Greek, and

yenient oath The forty-fix bimops who re- m Gf ee{. theol ians >vere tranflated into

&fed were banilhed to Corfica; the three Latjn

j " quiilieu ;

544

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXXVII.

* w *

quifhed, the fierce and illiterate fucceflors of Ulphilas. The con«
fcioufnefs of their own fuperiority might have raifed them above the
arts, and paflions, of religious warfare. Yet, inftead of afluming fuch
honourable pride, the orthodox theologians were tempted, by the
afiurance of impunity, to compofe fictions, which muft be ftigma-
tized with the epithets of fraud and forgery. They afcribed their
own polemical works to the moft venerable names of Cliriftian anti-
quity : the characters of Athanafius and Auguftin were aukwardly
perfonated by Vigilius and his difciples "a ; and the famous creed,
which fo clearly expounds the myfteries of the Trinity and the In-
carnation, is deduced, with ftrong probability, from this African
fchool "\ Even the Scriptures themfelves were profaned by their
rafh and facrilegious hands. The memorable text, which afTerts
the unity of the Three who bear witnefs in heaven "\ is con-
demned by the univerlal filence of the orthodox fathers, ancient
verfions, and authentic manufcripts "\ It was firft alleged by the

1,1 Compare the two prefaces to the Dia-
logue of Vigilius of Thapfus (p. 1 1 8, 119.
edit. Chiflet). He might amufe his learned
reader with an innocent fiction ; but the fub-
jec~l was too grave, and the Africans were
too ignorant.

"3 The P. Quefnel ftarted this opinion,
which has been favourably received. But
the three following truths, however furprifing
they mav feem, are ww univerfally acknow-
ledged (Gerard Voflius, torn. vi. p. 516 —
522. Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. torn. viii.
p. 667— 671.). 1. St. Athanafius is not the
author of the creed which is fo frequently
read in our churches. 2. It does not appear
to have exifted, within a century after his
death. 3. It was originally compofed in the
Latin tongue, and, confequently, in theWeft-
■ern provinces. Gennadius, patriarch of Con-
stantinople, was fo much amazed by this ex-
traordinary composition, that he frankly pro-
nounced it to be the work of a drunken man.
Petav. Dogmat. Theologica, torn. ii. 1. vii.
•c. 8. p. 687.

1,4 1 John v. 7. See Simon, Hift. Cri-
tique du Nouveau Tellament, part i. c. xviii.
p. 203 — 218.; and part ii. c. ix. p. 99 —
121.: and the elaborate Prolegomena and
Annotations of Dr. Mill and Wetflein to
their editions of the Greek Teftament. In
1689, the papift Simon ftrove to be free; in
1707, the proteftant Mill wifhed to be a
(lave; in 1 75 1 , the Arminian Wetftein ufed
the liberty of his times, and of his feci:.

115 Of all the MSS. now extant, above
fourfcore in number, fome of which are more
than 1200 years old (Wetftein ad loc).
The orthodox copies of the Vatican, of the
Complutenfian editors, of Robert Stephens,
are become invifible ; and the two MSS. of
Dublin and Berlin are unworthy to form an
exception. See Emlyn's Works, vol. ii. p.
227 — 255. 269—299.; and M. de Mifly's
four ingenious letters, in torn. viii. and ix.

of the journal Britannique.
2

Catholic

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

545

Catholic bifhops whom Hunneric fummoned to the conference of %^V^T?-

Carthage " . An allegorical interpretation, in the form, perhaps, of ' -*>

a marginal note, invaded the text of the Latin Bibles, which were
renewed and corrected in a dark period of ten centuries "\ After
the invention of printing "8, the editors of the Greek Teftament
yielded to their own prejudices, or thofe of the times "9 ; and the
pious fraud, which was embraced with equal zeal at Rome and al
Geneva, has been infinitely multiplied in every country and every
language of modern Europe.

The example of fraud muft excite fufpicion ; and the fpecious and miracles,
miracles by which the African Catholics have defended the truth and
juftice of their caufe, may be afcribed, with more reafon, to their
own induftry, than to the vifible protection of Heaven. Yet the
hiftorian, who views this religious conflict with an impartial eye,
may condefcend to mention one preternatural event, which will edify
the devout, and furprife the incredulous. Tipafa "°, a maritime

1,6 Or, more properly, by the four bilhops
who compofed and publilhed the profeffion
of faith in the name of their brethren. They
ftyle this text, luce clarius (Viftor Vitenfis
de Perfecut. Vandal. 1. iii. c. II. p. 54.).
It is quoted foon afterwards by the African
polemics, Vigilius and Fulgentius.

117 In the eleventh and twelfth centuries,
the Bibles were corrected by Lanfranc, arch-
biftiop of Canterbury, and by Nicolas, car-
dinal and librarian t>f the Roman church,
fecund um orthodoxam fidem (Wetftein, Pro-
legom. p. 84, 85.). Notwithftanding thefe
corrections, the paflage is ftill wanting in
twenty-five Latin MSS. (Wetftein ad loo),
»he aldeft and the faireft.; two qualities fel-
dom united, except in manufcripts.

1,8 The art which the Germans had in-
Tented was applied in Italy to the profane
writers of Rome and Greece. The original
Greek of the New Teftament was publilhed
*bout the fame time (A. D. 15 14. 15 16.

Vol, III.

1520.) by the induftry of Erafmus, and the
munificence of Cardinal Ximenes. The
Complutenfian Polyglot coft the cardinal
50,000 ducats. See Mattaire Annal. Ty-
pography torn. ii. p. 2— 8. 125 — 133.; and
Wetftein, Prolegomena, p. 116 — 127.

119 The three witnefles have been efta-
blilhed in our Greek Teftaments by the
prudence of Erafmus ; the honeft bigotry of
the Complutenfian editors ; the typographi-
cal fraud, or error, of Robert Stephens in
the placing a crotchet ; and the deliberate
falfehood, or ftrange mifapprehenfion, of
Theodore Beza.

120 Plin. Hift. Natural, v. 1. Itinerar.
Wefleling, p. 15. Cellarins, Geograph.
Antiq. torn. ii. part ii. p. 127, This Ti-
pafa (which muft not be confou-nded with
another in Numidia) was a town of fome
note, fince Vefpafian endowed it with the
right of Latiurxu

4 A

colony

546 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, colony of Mauritania, fixteen miles to the eaft of Csefarea, had been
XXXVII. J

v. „ ' diftinguifhed, in every age, by the orthodox zeal a its inhabitants.

They had braved the fury of the Donatifts ; they refifted, or eluded,
the tyranny of the Arians. The town was deferted on the approach
of an heretical bifhop : moft of the inhabitants who could procure
fhips paffed over to the coaft of Spain ; and the unhappy remnant,
refufing all communion with the ufurper, ftill prefumed to hold their
pious, but illegal, affemblies. Their difobedience exafperated the
cruelty of Hunneric. A military count was difpatched from Carthage
/ to Tipafa : he collected the Catholics in the Forum, and, in the pre-
fence of the whole province, deprived the guilty of their right-hands
and their tongues. But the holy confefibrs continued to fpeak with-
out tongues ; and this miracle is attefted by Victor, an African
bifhop,- who publifhed an hiftory of the perfecution within two years
after the event **\ " If any one," fays Victor, " mould doubt of
" the truth, let him repair to Conftantinople, and liften to the clear
" and perfect language of Reftitutus, the fub-deacon, one of thefe
M glorious fuiferers, who is now lodged in the palace of the emperor
" Zeno, and is refpected by the devout emprefs." At Conftantinople
we are aftonifhed to find a cool, a learned, an unexceptionable wit-
nefs, without intereft, and without paflion. iEneas of Gaza, a Pla-
tonic philofopher, has accurately defcribed his own obfervations on
thefe African fufferers. " I faw them myfelf : I heard them fpeak :
" I diligently enquired by what means fuch an articulate voice could
" be formed without any organ of fpeech : I ufed my eyes to ex-
" amine the report of my ears : I opened their mouth, and faw that
" the whole tongue had been completely torn away by the roots ;
" an operation which the phyficians generally fuppofe to be mor-

111 Optatus Milevitanus de Schifm. Do- Viftor. Vitenfis, v. 6. p. 76. Rui-

natift. 1. ii. p. 38. nart, p. 483—487.

" tal."

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

547

M tal ,15." The teftimony of ./Eneas of Gaza might be confirmed by c H,,A; p-

the fuperfluous evidence of the emperor Juftinian, in a perpetual v „ — «/

edict j of count Marcellinus, in his Chronicle of the times ; and of
pope Gregory the Firft, who had refided at Conftantinople, as the
minifter of the Roman pontiff124. They all lived within the compafs
of a century ; and they all appeal to their perfonal knowledge, or
the public notoriety, for the truth of a miracle, which was repeated
in feveral inftances, difplayed on the greateft theatre of the world,
and fubmitted, during a feries of years, to the calm examination of
the fenfes. This fupernatural gift of the African confefTors, who
fpoke without tongues, will command the affent of thofe, and of
thofe only, who already believe, that their language was pure and
orthodox. But the ftubborn mind of an infidel is guarded by fecret,
incurable, fufpicion ; and the Arian, or. Socinian, who has ferioufiy
rejected the do&rine of the Trinity, will not be fhaken by the mod
plaufible evidence of an Athanafian miracle.

The Vandals and the Oftrogoths perfevered in the profefiion of The ruin of
Arianifm till the final ruin of the kingdoms which they had founded among the
in Africa and Italy. The Barbarians of Gaul fubmitted to the or-
thodox dominion of the Franks ; and Spain was reftored to the 7°°-
Catholic church by the voluntary converfion of the Vifigoths.

This falutary revolution 125 was haflened by the example of a jDyal Revolt and
martyr, whom our calmer reafon may flyle an ungrateful rebel. ofHermems

Ledvigild,

113 ^)neas Gazsus in Theophrafto, in Vandal. 1- i. c. 7. p. 196. Gregor. Mag- 5^4*
Biblioth. Patrum, torn. viii. p. 664, 665. nus Dialog, iii. 32. None of thefe witnefles
He was a Chriftian, and compofed this Dia- have fpecified the number of the confeflbrs,
logue (the Theophraftus) on the immortality which is fixed at fixty in an old menology
of the foul, and the refurreclion of the body ; (apud Ruinart, p. 486.). Two of them loll
befides twenty-five Epiltles, llill extant. See . their fpeech by fornication ; but the miracle
Cave (Hift. Litteraria, p. 297.) and Fabri- is enhanced by the Angular inftance of a boy
ci«s (Bibl. Graec. torn. i. p. 422.). who had nc-ver fpoken before his tongue was

124 Juftinian. Codex, 1. i. tit. xxvii. cut out.
Marcellin. in Chron. p. 45. in Thefaur. 115 See the two general hiftorians of Spain,
Temporum Scaliger. Procopius, de Bell. Mariana (Hift. de Rebus Hifpanix, torn. i.

4 A 2 L v.

54?

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. Leovicild, the Gothic monarch of Spain, deferved the refpedl: of his
XXXVII. b ' . •

v — enemies, and the love of his fubjects: the Catholics enjoyed a free

toleration, and his Arian fynods attempted, without much fuccefs,
to reconcile theirjTcruples by abolifhing the unpopular rite of a Je~
cond baptifm. His eldeft fon Hermenegild, who was inverted by
his father with the royal diadem, and the fair principality of Bcetica,
contracted an honourable and orthodox alliance with a Merovingian
princefs, the daughter of Sigebert king of Auftrafia, and of the fa-
mous Brunechild. The beauteous Ingundis, who was no more than
thirteen years of age, was received, beloved, and perfecuted, in the
Arian court of Toledo ; and her religious conftancy was alternately
affaulted with blandifhments and violence by Goifvintha, the Gothic
queen, who abufed the double claim of maternal authority ,16. In-
cenfed by her refiftance, Goifvintha feized the Catholic princefs by
her long hair, inhumanly dafhed her againft the ground, kicked her
till £he was covered with blood, and at laft gave orders that fhe mould
be ftripped, and thrown into a bafon, or fim-pond ,17. Love and
honour might excite Hermenegild to refent this injurious treatment
of his bride ; and he was gradually perfuaded, that Ingundis fuffered
for the caufe of divine truth. Her tender complaints, and the weighty
arguments of Leander, archbifhop of Seville, accomplished his con-
verfion ; and the heir of the Gothic monarchy was initiated in the
Nicene faith by the folemn rites of confirmation "\ The ram youth,

1. v. c. 12 — 15. P- 1%Z — !94-) anc* Ferreras fam per comam capitis puellam in terram
(French tranflation, torn. ii. p. 206 — 247.). conlidit, et diu calcibus verberatam, ac fan-
Mariana almolt forgets that he is a Jefuit, to guine cruentatam, juflit exfpoliari, et pifci-
afTiime the ftyle and fpirit of a Roman claflic. nae immergi. Greg. Turon. 1. v. c. 39. in
Ferreras, an indaftrious compiler, reviews torn. ii. p. 255. Gregory is one of our bed
his facts, and rectifies his chronology. originals for this portion of hiftory.

116 Goifvintha fucceflively married two 128 The Catholics who admitted the bap-
kings of the Vifigoths : Athanigild, to whom *tifm of heretics, repeated the rite, or, as it
fhe bore Brunechild, the mother of Ingun- was afterwards ftyled, the facrament of con-
dis ; and Leovigild, whofe two fons, Her- firmation, to which they afcribed many myflic
menegild and Recared, were the ilTue of a and marvellous prerogatives, both vifible and
former marriage. invifible. See Chardon, Hift. des Sacre-

»" Iracundue furore fuccenfa, adprehen- mens, torn. i. p. 405— 552.

9 inflamed

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

549

inflamed by zeal, and perhaps by ambition, was tempted to violate

the duties of a fon, and a fubject ; and the Catholics of Spain, al- * , »

though they could not complain of perfecution, applauded his pious
rebellion againft an heretical father. The civil war was protracted
by the long and obftinate fieges of Merida, Cordova, and Seville,
which had ftrenuoufly efpoufed the party of Hermenegild. He in-
vited the orthodox Barbarians, the Suevi, and the Franks, to the
deftruction of his native land : he folicited the dangerous aid of the
Romans, who pofTefled Africa, and a part of the Spanifh coaft ; and
his holy ambaflador, the archbifhop Leander, effectually negociated
in perfon with the Byzantine court. But the hopes of the Catholics
were crufhed by the active diligence of a monarch who commanded
the troops and treafures of Spain ; and the guilty Hermenegild, after
his vain attempts to refill or to efcape, was compelled to furrender
himfelf into the hands of an incenfed father. Leovigild was ftill
mindful of that facred character ; and the rebel, defpoiled of the regal
ornaments, was ftill permitted, in a decent exile, to profefs the Ca-
tholic religion. His repeated and unfuccefsful treafons at length
provoked the indignation of the Gothic king ; and the fentence of
death, which he pronounced with apparent reluctance, was privately
executed in the tower of Seville. The inflexible conftancy with which
he refufed to accept the Arian communion, as the price of his fafety,
may excufe the honours that have been paid to the memory of St*
'Hermenegild. His wife and infant fon were detained by the Ro-
mans in ignominious captivity : and this domeftic misfortune tar-
nifhed the glories of Leovigild, and embittered the laft moments of
iiis life.

His fon and fucceflbr, Recared, the firft Catholic king of Spain, Converfon
had imbibed the faith of his unfortunate brother, which he fupported ancf the'vic.
with more prudence and fuccefs. Inftead of revolting againft his of
father, Recared patiently expected the hour of his death. Inftead Ag- D- 5?6~

65o THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. 0f condemning his memory, he piouily fuppofed, that the dying
v monarch had abjured the errors of Ananiim, and recommended to

his fon the converfion of the Gothic nation. To accompliih that
falutary end, Recared convened an aflembly of the Arian clergy and
nobles, declared himfelf a Catholic, and exhorted them to imitate the
example of their prince. The laborious interpretation of doubtful
texts, or the curious purfuit of metaphyfical arguments, would have
excited an endlefs controverfy ; and the monarch difcreetly propofed
to his illiterate audience, two fubftantial and vifible arguments, the
teftimony of Earth, and of Heaven. The Earth had fubmitted to
the Nicene fynod : the Romans, the Barbarians, and the inhabitants
of Spain, unanimoufly profefled the fame orthodox creed ; and the
Vifigoths refilled, almoft alone, the confent of the Chriftian world.
A fuperftitious age was prepared to reverence, as the teftimony of
Heaven, the preternatural cures, which were performed by the fki!l
or virtue of the Catholic clergy ; the baptifmal fonts of OfTet in
Bcetica ,2M, which were fpontaneoufly replenifhed each year, on the
vigil of Eafter 130 ; and the miraculous fhrine of St. Martin of Tours,
which had already converted the Suevic prince and people of Galli-
cia131. The Catholic king encountered fome difficulties on this im-
portant change of the national religion. A confpiracy, fecretly fo-
mented by the queen-dowager, was formed againft his life ; and two
counts excited a dangerous revolt in the Narbonnefe Gaul. But

*** OfTet, or Julia Conftantia, was oppo- 130 This miracle was fkilfully performed,

fite to Seville, on the northern fide of the An Arian king fealed the doors, and dug a

Bcetis ( Plin. Hift. Natur. iii. 3.) : and the deep trench round the church, without being

authentic reference of Gregory of Tours a.ble to intercept the Eafter fupply of bap^

/TT.„ „ , . 00 \ 1 tifmal water.

(Hift. Francor. 1. vi. c. 43. p. 288.) de-

, .... etc Ferreras (torn. 11. p. 168 — 17c, A. D.

ferves more credit than the name or LiUiita- , ... * ,r , '. J ...

550.) has llluitrated the difficulties which
nia (de Glorii Martyr, c. 24.), which has regard ^ ^ ^ circumfcances of the

been eagerly embraced by the vain and fu- C0nverfl0n cf the Suevi. They had been

perftitious Portuguefe (Ferreras, Hift. d'E- recently united by Leovigild to the Gothic

fpagr.e, torn. ii. p. 166.). monarchy of Spain.

2 Recared

GF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

Recared difarmed the confpirators, defeated the rebels, and executed xxXVlf'

fevere juftice ; which the Arians, in their turn, might brand with the < , *

reproach of perfecution. Eight bifhops, whofe names betray their
Barbaric origin, abjured their errors ; and all the books of Arian the-
ology were reduced to afhes, with the houfe in which they had
been purpofely collected. The whole body of the Vifigoths and
Suevi were allured or driven into the pale of the Catholic communion;
the faith, at leaft of the riling generation, was fervent and fmcere ;
and the devout liberality of the Barbarians enriched the churches and
monafteries of Spain. Seventy bifhops, afTembled in the council of
Toledo, received the fubmimon of their conquerors ; and the zeal of
the Spaniards improved the Nicene creed, by declaring the proceffion
of the Holy Ghoft, from the Son, as well as from the Father ; a
weighty point of doctrine, which produced, long afterwards, the
fchifm of the Greek and Latin churches I3*, The royal profelyte im-
mediately faluted and confulted pope Gregory, furnamed the Great,
a learned and holy prelate, whofe reign was diftinguifhed by the
converfion of heretics and infidels. The ambaffadors of Recared
reipeclfully offered on the thremold of the Vatican his rich prefents
of gold and gems : they accepted, as a lucrative exchange, the hairs
of St. John the Baptift ; a crofs, wrhich inclofed a fmall piece of the
true wood ; and a key, that contained fome particles of iron which
had been fcraped from the chains of St. Peter 133.

, The fame Gregory, the fpiritual conqueror of Britain, encouraged Coaverfion
the pious Theodelinda, queen of the Lombards, to propagate the Ni- bards of
cene faith among the victorious favages, whofe recent Chriftianity was ^a £>' 6 0

&c.

131 This addition to the Nicene, or rather (Gerard Voflius, torn. vi. p. 527. de tribus
the Ccnftantinopclitan creed, was firft made Sy™00'15)-

. , • 11 • 1 /• t-r-i « * . ~ , 133 See Gregor. Magn. I. vii. epift. 126.

in the eighth council of Toledo, A.D.oca; , „ . 0 . r , r Ar^

** " apud Baromum, Arrnal. Ecclef. A. D. 599,

but it. was expreffive of the popular doctrine Jsj° 25, 26.

polluted

S5*

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, polluted by the Arian herefy. Her devout labours ftill left room for

« i » the induftry and fuccefs of future miffionaries ; and many cities of

Italy were ftill difputed by hoftile bifhops. But the caufe of Arianiim
was gradually fupprefTed by the weight of truth, of intereft, and of
example ; and the controverfy, which Egypt had derived from the
Platonic fchool, was terminated, after a war of three hundred years,
by the final converfion of the Lombards of Italy ,3\
Perfecution The firft miffionaries who preached the gofpel to the Barbarians,

of the Jews 1 , .

in Spain, appealed to the evidence of reafon, and claimed the benefit of tole-
A D 612 —

7,'Zi ' ration'". But no fooner had they eftabliftied their fpiritual domi-
nion, than they exhorted the Chriftian kings to extirpate, without
mercy, the remains of Roman or Barbaric fuperftition. The fuccef-
fors of Clovis inflicted one hundred lafhes on the peafants who re-
fufed to deftroy their idols ; the crime of facrificing to the dsemons
was punifhed by the Anglo-Saxon laws with the heavier penalties of
imprifonment and confifcation j and even the wife Alfred adopted,
as an indifpenfable duty, the extreme rigour of the Mofaic inftitu-
tions ,36. But the puniftiment, and the crime, were gradually abo-
lifhed among a Chriftian people : the theological difputes of the
fchools were fufpended by propitious ignorance ; and the intolerant
fpirit, which could find neither idolaters nor heretics, was reduced
to the perfecution of the Jews. That exiled nation had founded fome
fynagogues in the cities of Gaul ; but Spain, fince the time of Ha-

,3+ Paul Warnefrid (de Geftis Langobard.
■ 1. iv. c. 44. p. 853. edit. Grot.) allows that

Arianifm ftill prevailed under the reign of
Rotharis (A. D. 636—652.). The pious
Deacon does not attempt to mark the precife
ara of the national converfion, which was
accompliftied, however, before the end of
the feventh century.

135 Quorum fidei et converfioni ita con-
gratulate effe rex perhibetur, ut nullum

tamen cogeret ad Chriftianifmum .... Didi-
cerat enim a dcftoribus au£loribufque fuae
falutis, fervitium Chrifti voluntarium non
coattitium efle debere. Bedae Hift. Eccl«-
fiaftic. 1. i. c. 26. p. 62. edit. Smith.

136 See the Hiftorians of France, torn. iv.
p. 114.; and Wilkins, Leges Anglo-Saxo-
nicae, p. 11. 31. Siquis facrificium imrao-
laverit prater Deo foli morte raoriatur.

drian,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

353

■ drian, was filled with their numerous colonies The wealth which ^ i*£.f •

AAA V li»

they accumulated by trade, and the management of the finances, 1 , ... /

invited the pious avarice of their mafters ; and they might be op-
prefied without danger, as they had loft the ufe, and even the re-
membrance, of arms. Sifebut, a Gothic king, who reigned in the
beginning of the feventh century, proceeded at once to the laft ex-
tremes of perfecution ,3\ Ninety thoufand Jews were compelled to
receive the facrament of baptiim ; the fortunes of the obftinate infi-
dels were confifcated, their bodies were tortured ; and it feems doubt-
ful whether they were permitted to abandon their native country.
The excemve zeal of the Catholic king was moderated, even by the
clergy of Spain, who folemnly pronounced an inconfiftent fentence :
that the facraments fhould not be forcibly impofed ; but that the
Jews who had been baptized fhould be conftrained, for the honour
of the church, to perfevere in the external practice of a religion
which they difbelieved, and detefted. Their frequent relapfes pro-
voked one of the fucceflbrs of Sifebut to banifh the whole nation
from his dominions ; and a council of Toledo publifhed a decree,
that every Gothic king fhould fwear to maintain this falutary edict.
But the tyrants were unwilling to difmifs the victims, whom they
delighted to torture, or to deprive themfelves of the induftrious
flaves, over whom they might exercife a lucrative oppreffion. The
Jews ftill continued in Spain, under the weight of the civil and ec-
clefiaftical laws, which in the fame country have been faithfully

137 The Jews pretend that they were in- ville, mentions, difapproves, and cor.gra-
troduced into Spain by the fleets of Solo- tulates, the zeal of Sifebat (ChrOH. Goth",
mon, and the arms of Nebuchadnezzar; p. 728.). Baronius (A. D. 614, N° 41.)
that Hadrian tranfported forty thoufand fa- afligns the number on the evidence of Aimoin
milies of the tribe of Judah, and ten thou- (I. iv. c. 22.) : but the evidence is weak,
fand of the tribe of Benjamin, &c. Bafnage, and I have not been able to verify the quo*-
Hilt.- des Juifs, torn. vii. c. 9. p. 240— 256. tation (Hiftoriar.s of France, torn. iii. p.

138 Ifidore, at that time archbifhop of Se- 127.)-

Vol. III. 4 B tranferibed

554

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XXXVII.

Conclufion.

tranfcribed m the Code of the Inquifition. The Gothic kings and
bifhops at length difcovered, that injuries will produce hatred, and
that hatred will find the opportunity of revenge. A nation, the fecret
or profefled enemies of Chriftianity, ftill multiplied in fervitude, and
diftrefs ; and the intrigues of the Jews promoted the rapid fuccefs of
the Arabian conquerors ''9.

As foon as the Barbarians withdrew their powerful fupport, the
unpopular hcrefy of Arius funk into contempt and oblivion. But
the Greeks ftill retained their fubtle and loquacious difpofition : the
eftablifhment of an obfcure doctrine fuggefted new queftions, and
new difputes j and it was always in the power of an ambitious pre-
late, or a fanatic monk, to violate the peace of the church, andt
perhaps, of the empire. The hiftorian of the empire may overlook
thofe difputes which were confined to the obfcurity of fchools and
fynods. The Manichceans, who laboured to reconcile the religions
of Chrift and of Zoroafter, had fecretly introduced themfelves into
the provinces : but thefe foreign fectaries were involved in the com-
mon difgrace of the Gnoftics, and the Imperial laws were executed
by the public hatred. The rational opinions of the Pelagians were
propagated from Britain to Rome, Africa, and Paleftine, and filently
expired in a fuperftitious age. But the Eaft was diffracted by the
Neftorian and Eutychian controverfies ; wrhich attempted to explain
the myftery of the incarnation, and haftened the ruin of Chriftianity
in her native land. Thefe controverfies were firft agitated under the
reign of the younger Theodofius : but their important confequences
extend far beyond the limits of the prefent volume. The metaphy-

139 Bafnage (torn. viii. c. 13. p. 388 — of the Vifigoths, many curious circumftancej,
400.) faithfully reprefents the ftate of the effential to his fubjecl, though they are fo-
Jews : but he might have added from the reign to mine,
canons of the Spanilb. councils, and the laws

fical

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

fical chain of argument, the contefts of ecclefiaftical ambition, and
their political influence on the decline of the Byzantine empire,
may afford an interefting and inftructive feries of hiftory^ from the
general councils of Ephefus and Chalcedon, to the conqueft of the
Eaft by the fucceffors of Mahomet.

4 B 2

CHAP.

55<5

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. XXXVIII.

Reign and Converfion of Clovis. — His ViElories over the
Alemanniy Burgundians, and Viftgoths. — Eftablijhment
of the French Monarchy in Gaul. — Laws of the Barba-
rians.— State of the Romans, — The Vifigoths of Spain*
—Conquefl of Britain by the Saxons,

chap, f | * H E Gauls ', who impatiently fupported the Roman yoke,
.— ^ -I- received a memorable leflbn from one of the lieutenants of
tion o7 Gaol Vefpafian, whofe weighty fenfe has been refined and exprefied by the
genius of Tacitus *, " The protection of the republic has delivered
" Gaul from internal difcord, and foreign invafions. By the lofs of
" national independence, you have acquired the name and privileges
" of Roman citizens. You enjoy, in common with ourfelves, the
" permanent benefits of civil government ; and your remote fitua-
tion is lefs expofed to the accidental mifchiefs of tyranny. Inftead
of exercifing the rights of conqueft, we have been contented to
impofe fuch tributes as are requifite for your own prefervation.
** Peace cannot be fecured without armies j and armies muft be fup-

1 In this chapter I fhall draw my quota- Such a national work, which will be con-

tions from the Recueil des Hiftoriens des tinued to the year 1500, might provoke our

Gaules et de la France, Paris, 1738 — 1767, emulation.

in eleven volumes in folio. By the labour 2 Tacit. Hift. iv. 73, 74. in tom.i. p. 445.

of Dom. Bouquet, and the other Benedic- To abridge Tacitus, would indeed be pre-

tines, all the original teftimonies, as far as fumptuous : but I may feled the general

A. D. 1060, are difpofed in chronological ideas which he applies to the prefent ftate

order, and illuftrated with learned notes, and future revolutions of Gaul.

" ported

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

557

" ported at the expence of the people. It is for your fake, not for xxxviil'

" our own, that we guard the barrier of the Rhine againft the fero- * — '

" cious Germans, who have fo often attempted, and who will al-
'* ways defire, to exchange the folitude of their woods and morafles
" for the wealth and fertility of Gaul. The fall of Rome would be
" fatal to the provinces ; and you would be buried in the ruins of
" that mighty fabric, which has been raifed by the valour and wif-
" dom of eight hundred years. Your imaginary freedom would be
" infulted and oppreffed by a favage mafter ; and the expulfion of
" the Romans would be fucceeded by the eternal hoftilities of the
" Barbarian conquerors 3." This falutary advice was accepted, and
this ftrange prediction was accomplished. In the fpace of four hun-
dred years, the hardy Gauls, who had encountered the arms of Cse-
far, were imperceptibly melted into the general mafs of citizens and
fubjects : the Weftern empire was diffolved ; and the Germans, who
had parTed the Rhine, fiercely contended for the poffeflion of Gaul,
and excited the contempt, or abhorrence, of its peaceful and polifhed
inhabitants. With that confcjous pride which the pre-eminence of
knowledge and luxury feldom fails to infpire, they derided the hairy
and gigantic favages of the North ; their ruftic manners, diflbnant
joy, voracious appetite, and their horrid appearance, equally dif-
gufting to the fight and to the fmell. The liberal ftudies were ftill
cultivated in the ichools of Autun and Bordeaux ; and the language
of Cicero and Virgil was familiar to the Gallic youth. Their ears
were aftonilhed by the harm and unknown founds of the Germanic
dialect, and they ingenioufly lamented' that the trembling mufes fled
from the harmony of a Burgundian lyre. The Gauls were endowed
with all the advantages of art and nature; but as they wanted cou-

5 Eadem Temper caufa Germanis tranfccn- lum vofque ipfos poffiderent Nam pulfis

de-ndi in Gallias libido atque avariti^ et Romanis quid aliud quam bella omnium in-
mutanda? fedis amor; ut reliftis paludibus ter fe gentium exfiftent ?
et fojitudinibus fuis, fecundiflimum hoc fo-

rage

558 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. rage to defend them, they were juftly condemned to obey, and even
» to flatter, the victorious Barbarians, by whofe clemency they held

their precarious fortunes and their lives \
Euric, king As foon as Odoacer had extinguifhed the Weftern empire, he
goths* Vlfi" fought the friendfhip of the moft powerful of the Barbarians. The
485° 47<5~ new fovereign of Italy refigned to Euric, king of the Vifigoths, all
the Roman conquefts beyond the Alps, as far as the Rhine and the
Ocean 5 : and the fenate might confirm this liberal gift with fome
oftentation of power, and without any real lofs of revenue or domi-
nion. The lawful pretenfions of Euric were juftified by ambition
and fuccefs ; and the Gothic nation might afpire, under his com-
mand, to the monarchy of Spain and Gaul. Aries and Marfeilles
furrendered to his arms : he opprelled the freedom of Auvergne ;
and the bilhop condefcended to purchafe his recal from exile by a
tribute of juft, but reluctant, praife. Sidonius waited before the
gates of the palace among a crowd of ambaffadors and fuppliants ;
and their various bufinefs at the court of Bordeaux attefted the
power, and the renown, of the king of the Vifigoths. The Heruli
of the diftant ocean, who painted their naked bodies, with its ceru-
lean colour, implored his protection ; and the Saxons rerpected the
maritime provinces of a prince, who was deftitute of any naval force.
The tall Burgunclians fubmitted to his authority ; nor did he reftore
the captive Franks, till he had impofed on that fierce nation the
terms of an unequal peace. The Vandals of Africa cultivated his
ufeful friendfhip ; and the Oftrogoths of Pannonia were fupported by
his powerful aid againft the oppreffion of the neighbouring Huns.
The North (fuch are the lofty ftrains of the poet) was agitated, or

* Sidonius .Apollinaris ridicules, with af- Grotius inclines me to believe, that he has

fe&ed wit and pleafantry, the hardlhips of not fubftituted the Rhine for the Rhone (Hilt,

his lituation (Carm. xii. in torn. i. p. 81 1.). Gothorum, p. 175.) without the authority

5 See Procopius de Bell. Gothico, 1, i. of fome MS.
C. I?, in torn. ii. p. 31. The character of

5 appeafed>

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

559

appeafed, by the nod of Euric ; the great king of Perfia confulted xxxvill

the oracle of the Weft ; and the aged god of the Tyber was pro- *-
tedted by the fwelling genius of the Garonne 6. The fortune of na-
tions has often depended on accidents ; and France may afcribe her
greatnefs to the premature death of the Gothic king, at a time when
his fon Alaric was an helplefs infant, and his adverfary Clovis 7 an
ambitious and valiant youth.

While Childeric, the father of Clovis, lived an exile in Germany, Clovis, king
he was hofpitably entertained by the queen, as well as by the Franks,
king, of the Thuringians. After his reft oration, Bafina efcaped
from her hufband's bed to the arms of her lover ; freely declaring,
that if fhe had known a man wifer, ftronger, or more beautiful, than
Childeric, that man fhould have been the object of her preference8.
Clovis was the offspring of this voluntary union ; and, when he was
no more than fifteen years of age, he fucceeded, by his father's death,
to the command of the Salian tribe. The narrow limits of his king-
dom 9 were confined to the ifland of the Batavians, with the ancient
diocefes of Tournay and Arras 10 ; and at the baptifm of Clovis, the
number of his warriors could not exceed five thoufand. The kin-
dred tribes of the Franka, who had feated themfelves along the Belgic
rivers, the Scheld, the Meufe, the Mofelle, and the Rhine, were

* Sidonius, L viii. epift. 3.9. in torn. i. not wifli to defame the mother of the firft

p. 800. Jornandes (de Rebus Geticis, c. 47. Chriilian king.

„p. 680.) juftifies, in fbme meafure, this por- 9 The Abbe Dubos (Hifh Critique de

trait of the Gothic hero. 1'EtablifTement de la Monarchie Francoife

7 I ufe the familiar appellation of Clovis, dans les Gaules, torn. i. p. 630 — 650.) has
from the Latin Chlodomechus, or Chlodo<vaus. the merit of defining the primitive kingdom
But the Ch exprefles only the German afpi- of Clovis, and of afcertaining the genuine
ration ; and the true name is not different number of his fubjects.

from Luduin, or Lewis (Mem. de l'Academie 10 Ecclefiam incultam ac negligentia ci-

des Infcriptions, torn. xx. p. 6*.). vium Paganorum prxtermifTam, vepriura

8 Greg. Turon. 1. ii. c. 12. in torn, u denfitate ofplctam, &c. Vit, St. Vedafti,
p. 168. Bafina fpeaks the language of Na- jn t0m. iii. p. 372. This defcription fup-
ture : the Franks, who had feen her in their p0fes tnat Arras was poffe/Ted by the Pagans,
youth, might converfe with Gregory, in manv yc.ars ^faQ the baptifm of Clovis.
■their old age ; and the bilhop of Tours could

governed

560

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, governed by their independent kings, of the Merovingian race ; the

XX XVIII*

equals, the allies, and fometimes the enemies, of the Salic prince.
But the Germans, who obeyed, in peace, the hereditary jurifdiction
of their chiefs, were free to follow the ftandard of a popular and
victorious general ; and the fuperior merit of Clovis attracted the
refpect and allegiance of the national confederacy. When he firft
took the field, he had neither gold and filver in his coffers, nor wine
and corn in his magazines" : but he imitated the example of Csefar,
wrho, in the fame country, had acquired wealth by the fword, and
purchafed foldiers with the fruits of conqueft. After each fuccefsful
battle or expedition, the fpoils were accumulated in one common
mafs ; every warrior received his proportionable lhare, and the royal
prerogative fubmitted to the equal regulations of military law. The
untamed fpirit of the Barbarians was taught to acknowledge the ad-
vantages of regular difcipline At the annual review of the month
of March, their arms were diligently infpected ; and when they tra-
verfed a peaceful territory, they were prohibited from touching a
blade of grafs. The juftice of Clovis was inexorable ; and his care-
lefs or difobedient foldiers were punifhed with inftant death. It
would be fuperfluous to praife the valour of a Frank : but the valour
of Clovis was directed lay cool and confummate prudence I3. In all
his tranfactions with mankind, he calculated the weight of intereft,
of paffion, and of opinion ; and his meafures were fometimes adapted
to the fanguinary manners of the Germans, and fometimes moderated
by the milder genius of Rome, and Chriftianity. He was inter-

" Gregory of Tours (1. v. c. 1 . in torn. ii. power and die character of Clovis. As a

p. 232.) contrails the poverty of Clovis with point of contrcverfy, ic has been ftrangely

the wealth of his grandfons. Yet Remigius tortured by Boufainvilliers, Dubos, and the

(in torn, iv p. 52.) mentions his patenias other political antiquarians.

cpes, as fufficient for the redemption of cap- 13 The duke of Nivernois, a noble Itatef-

tives. man, who has managed weighty and delicate

11 See Gregory (1. ii. c. 27. 37. in negociations, ingeniouily iliuftrates (Mem. de

torn. ii. p. 175. 181, 182.). The famous l'Acad. des Jnicripticns, torn. xx. p. 147 —

ftoryof the vafe of Soiflbns explains both the 184.) the political fyftem of Ciovis.

o, cepted

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

ccpted in the career of victory, fince he died in the forty-fifth year J JJ J [*•

of his age : but he had already accomplished, in a reign of thirty \ , —

years, the eftablifhment of the French monarchy in Gaul.

The firft exploit of Clovis was the defeat of Syagrius, the fon Hisviftory

r J ° ' overSya-

of iEgidius ; and the public quarrel might, on this occafion, be in- grius»
flamed by private refentment. The glory of the father ftill infulted
the Merovingian race ; the power of the fon might excite the jealous
ambition of the king of the Franks. Syagrius inherited, as a patri-
monial eftate, the city and diocefe of SoifTons : the defolate remnant
of the fecond Belgic, Rheims and Troyes, Beauvais and Amiens,
would naturally fubmit to the count or patrician '* ; and after the
diffolution of the Weftern empire, he might reign with the title, or
at leaft with the authority, of king of the Romans'5. As a Roman,
he had been educated in the liberal ftudies of rhetoric and jtlrifpru-
dence ; but he was engaged by accident and policy in the fami-
liar ufe of the Germanic idiom. The independent Barbarians
reforted to the tribunal of a ftranger, who poffeffed the fingular
talent of explaining, in their native tongue, the dictates of reafon
and equity. The diligence and affability of their judge rendered
him popular, the impartial wifdom of his decrees obtained their vo-
luntary obedience, and the reign of Syagrius over the Franks and
Burgundians, feemed to revive the original inftitution of civil fo-
ciety ,(S. In the midft of thefe peaceful occupations, Syagrius re-

14 M. Biet (in a DifTertation which de- Patricius for the incredible title of Rex Re-
served the prize of the Academy of SoifTons, tnanorum.

p. 178—226.) has accurately defined the 16 Sidonius (1. v. epiJl. 5. in torn. i. p.

nature and extent of the kingdom of Sya- 794..), who ftiles him the Solon, the Am-

grius, and his father; but he too readily phion, of the Barbarians, addreffes this ima-

allows the flight evidence of Dubos (tom.ii. ginary king in the tone of friendfhip and

p. 54.— 57O- t0 deprive him of Beauvais and equality. From fuch offices of arbitration,

Amiens. the crafty Dejoces had raifed himfelf to the

11 I may obferve that Fredegarius, in his throne of the Medes (Herodot. 1. i. c. 96—-

Epitome of Gregory of Tours (torn. ii. p. 100.).
398.), has prudently fubftituted the name of

Vol. III. 4 G ceived,

562

THE DECLINE AND FALL

ceived, and boldly accepted, the hoflile defiance of Clovis ; who
challenged his rival, in the fpirit, and almoft in the language, of
chivalry, to appoint the day, and the field ,?, of battle. In the time
of Ccefar, Soilfons would have poured forth a body of fifty thoufand
horfe ; and fuch an army might have been plentifully fupplied with
fhields, cuiralfes, and military engines, from the three arfenals, or
manufactures, of the city l\ But the courage and numbers of the
Gallic youth were long lince exhaufted ; and the loofe bands of vo-
lunteers, or mercenaries, who marched under the ftandard of Sya-
grius, were incapable of contending with the national valour of the
Franks, It would be ungenerous, without fome more accurate
knowledge of his ftrength and refources, to condemn the rapid
flight of Syagrius, who efcaped, after the lofs of a battle, to the
diftant court of Thouloufe. The feeble minority of Alaric could
not aflift, or protect, an unfortunate fugitive; the pulillanimous19
Goths were intimidated by the menaces of Clovis ; and the Roman
klngt after a fhort confinement, was delivered into the hands of the
executioner. The Belgic cities furrendered to the king of the
Franks ; and his dominions were enlarged towards the Eaft by the
ample diocefe of Tongres 20, which Clovis fubdued in the tenth year
of his reign.

2 7 Campum fibi praeparari juffit. M. Eiet
(p. 226—25 1.) has diligently afcertained this
field of battle, at Nogent, a Benedictine
abbey, about ten miles to the north of Soif-
fons. The ground was marked by a circle
of Pagan fepulchres ; and Clovis beftowed
the adjacent lands of Leuilly and Coucy on
the church of Rheims. _

18 See Ciefar. Comment, de Bell. Gallic,
ii. 4. in torn. i. p. 220. and the Notitia;,
torn. i. p. 126. The three Falric/e of Soif-
fons were, Scutaria, Baliftiria, and Clina-
baria. The laft fupplied the complete armour
cf the heavy cuirafTieri.

,£> The epithet mull be confined to tKe
circumftances ;'and hiftory cannot juflify the
French prejudice of Gregory (1. ii. c. 27. in
torn. ii. p. 175.), ut G-othorum pavere mot
eft.

20 Dubos has fatisfied me (torn. i. p. 277 —
286.) that Gregory of Tours, his tranferibers
or his readers, have repeatedly confounded
the German kingdom of Thuringia, beyond
the Rhine, and the Gallic city of Tongriay
on the Meufe, which was more anciently the
country of the Eburones, and more recently
the diocefe of Liege.

The

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

The name of the Alemanni has been abfurdly derived from their C

imaginary fettlement on the banks of the Lcman lake ". That fortunate

H A P.
XXVIII.

Defeat and

diftricT:, from the lake to Avenche, and Mount Jura, was occupied by fubmifiion of
the Burgundians ". The northern parts of Helvetia had indeed been ni,
fubdued by the ferocious Alemanni, who deftroycd with their own A' D,49®'
hands the fruits of their conqueft. A province, improved and adorned
by the arts of Rome, was again reduced to a favage wilderncfs ; and
fome veftige of the ftately VindonifTa may ftill be difcovered in the
fertile and populous valley of the Aar *3. From the fource of the
Rhine, to its conflux with the Mein and the Mofelle, the formidable
fwarms of the Alemanni commanded either fide of the river, by
the right of ancient porTeffion, or recent victory. They had fpread
themfelves into Gaul, over the modern provinces of Allace and Lor-
raine ; and their bold invafion of the kingdom of Cologne fummoned
the Salic prince to the defence of his Ripuarian allies. Clovis en-
countered the invaders of Gaul in the plain of Tolbiac, about
twenty-four miles from Cologne ; and the two fierceft nations of
Germany were mutually animated by the memory of paft exploits,
and the profpec~t of future greatnefs. The Franks, after an obftinate
ftruggle, gave way ; and the Alemanni, raifing a fhout of victory,
impetuoufly prelTed their retreat. But the battle was reftored by

11 Populi habitantes juxta Lemannum la- and are ftill difcriminated, in modern Swit-

cum, Alemanni dicuntur. Servius, ad Virgil, zerland, by the ufe of the German, or French,

Georgic. iv. 278. Dom Bouquet (torn. i. language.

p. 8 17.) has only alleged the more recent and 13 See Guilliman. de Rebus Helveticis, I.

corrupt text of Ifi.iore of Seville. i.e. 3. p. 11, 12. Within the ancient walls

** Gregory of Tours fends St. Lupicinus of Vindonifla, the caftle of Habfburgh, the

inter ilia Jurenfis delerti fecreta, qua;, inter abbey of Konigsfield, and the town of Bruck,

Burgundiam Alamanniamque fita, Aventicas have fucceffively arifen. The philofophic

adjacent civitati, in torn. i. p. 648. M. de traveller may compare the monuments of

Watteville (Hift. de la Confideration Helve- Roman conqueft, of feudal or Auftrian tv-

tique, torn. i. p. 9, 10.) has accurately de- ranny, of monkifh fuperftition, and of in-

fin:d the Helvetian limits of the dutchy of duftrious freedom. If he be truly a phi-

Alemannia, and the 7'ranjurane Burgundy, lofopher, he will applaud the merit and

They were commenfurate with the diocefes happinels of his own times.
«f Conftance and Avenche, or Laufanne,

4 C 2 the

5^4

THE DECLINE AND FALL

c H 4\p- the valour, the conduct, and perhaps by the piety, of Clovis ; and the

XXXVIII. * .

v— v— — > event of the bloody day decided for ever the alternative of empire
or fervitude. The laft king of the Alemanni was flain in the field,
and his people was flaughtered and purfued, till they threw down
their arms, and yielded to the mercy of the conqueror. Without
difcipline it was impoflible for them to rally ; they had contemp-
tuoufly demoliihed the walls and fortifications which might have
protected their diftrefs ; and they were followed into the heart of
their forefts, by an enemy, not lefs active, or intrepid, than them-
felves. The great Theodoric congratulated the victory of Clovis,
whofe fifter Albofleda the king of Italy had lately married ; but he
mildly interceded with his brother in favour of the fuppliants and
fugitives, who had implored his protection. The Gallic territories,
which were poffeffed by the Alemanni, became the prize of their
conqueror ; and the haughty nation, invincible, or rebellious,
to the arms of Rome, acknowledged the fovereignty of the Me-
rovingian kings, who gracioufly permitted them to enjoy their pe-
culiar manners and inftitutions, under the government of official,
and, at length, of hereditary, dukes. After the conqueft of
the Weftern provinces, the Franks alone maintained their ancient
habitations beyond the Rhine. They gradually fubdued, and civil-
ifed, the exhaufted countries, as far as the Elbe, and the mountains
of Bohemia ; and the peace of Europe was fecured by the obe-
dience of Germany **»
eoaverifon Till the thirtieth vear of his age, Clovis continued to worfhip the
A. D. 496. gods of his anceflors15. His difbelief, or rather difregard, of Chris-
tianity,

14 Gregory of Tours (J. ii. 30. 57. in torn, to the grandfon of Clovis. The ftate of the
ii. p. 176, 177. 182.), the Gefta Francorum Alemanni under the Merovingian kings, may
(in torn. ii. p. 551.), and the epiftle of Theo- be feen in Mafcou (Hift. of the Ancient
doric (Caffiodor. Variar. 1. ii. c. 41. in torn. Germans, xi. 8, &c. Annotation xxxvi.) and
iv. p. 4.), reprefent the defeat of the Ale- Guilliman (de Reb. Helvet. 1. ii. c. 10 — 12..
Hianni. Some of their tribes fettled in Rhai- p. 72 — 80.).

tia, under the protection of Theodoric; whofe 15 Clotilda, or rather Gregory, fuppofes
fucceffors ceded the colony and their country that Clovis worlhipped the gods of Greece

and

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

J65

tianity, might encourage him to pillage with lefs remorfe the churches C^XyIfI"

of an hoftile territory : but his fubjects of Gaul enjoyed the free 1 v— -»

exercife of religious worfhip ; and the bifhops entertained a more fa-
vourable hope of the idolater, than of the heretics. The Merovingian
prince had contracted a fortunate alliance with the fair Clotilda, the
niece of the king of Burgundy, who, in the midft of an Arian
court, was educated in the profeffion of the Catholic faith. It was
her intereft, as well as her duty, to atchieve the converfion 16 of a
Pagan hufband ; and Clovis infenfibly liftened to the voice of love
and religion. He confented, (perhaps fuch terms had been previoufly
ftipulated) to the baptifm of his eldeft fon ; and though the fudden
death of the infant excited fome fuperftitious fears, he was perfuaded, .
a fecond time, to repeat the dangerous experiment. In the diftrefs
of the battle of Tolbiac, Clovis loudly invoked the god of Clotilda
and the Chriftians ; and victory difpofed him to hear, with refpectiul
gratitude, the eloquent 17 Remigius 28, bi£hop of Rheims, who forcibly
difplayed the temporal and fpiritual advantages of his converfion.
The king declared himfelf fatisfied of the truth of the Catholic
faith ; and the political reafons which might have fufpended his

and Rome. The faift. is incredible, and the mations from the fecretary or bookfeller of

miftake only (hews how completely, in lefs the modell archbifhop (Sidonius Apollinar.

than a century, the naiional religion of the L ix. epifl. 7.). Four- epiftles of Remigius,

Franks had been abolifhed, and even for- which are lt.il 1 extant (in torn, iv. p. 51, 52,

gotten. 53-)» ^° not correfpond with the fplendid

16 Gregory of Tours relates the marriage praife of Sidonius.
and converfion of Clovis (1. ii. c. 28 — 31. in 28 Hincmarj one of the fucceftbrs of Re-

torn. ii. p. 175 — 178.). Even Fredegarius, migius (A. D. 845— 882.), has compofed his

or the namelefs Epitomizer (in torn. ii. p. life (in torn. iii. p. 373 — 380.). • The autho-

398 — 400.), the author of the Gefta Fran- rity of ancient MS S. of the church of Rheims

corum (in torn. ii. p. 548—552.), andAimoin might infpire fome confidence,- which is de-

himfelf (1. i. c. 13. in torn. iii. p. 37—40.), ftroyed, however, by the felfifh and audacious

may be heard without difdain. Tradition fidions of Hincmar. It is remarkable enough, -

might long preferve fome curious circum- that Remigius, who was- confecrated at the

fiances of thefe important tranfaftions. age of twenty-two (A. D. 457.), filled the

*7 A traveller, who returned from Rheims epifcopal chair feventy-four years (Pagi Cri-

to Auvergne, had Itolen. a copy of his Deck- tica, in Baron, torn. ii. p. 384. 572.).

public

THE DECLINE AND FALL

public profeflion, were removed by the devout or loyal acclamations
of the Franks, who fhewed themfelves alike prepared to follow their
heroic leader, to the field of battle, or to the baptifmal font. The
important ceremony was performed in the cathedral of Rheims,
with every circumftance of magnificence and folemnity, that could
imprefs an awful fenfe of religion on the minds of its rude profe-
lytes *~9. The new Conftantine was immediately baptifed, with three
thoufand of his warlike fubjec"ts ; and their example was imitated
by the remainder of the gentle Barbarians, who, in obedience to the
victorious prelate, adored the crofs which they had burnt, and burnt
the idols which they had formerly adored 30. The mind of Clovis
was fufceptible of tranfient fervour : he was exafperated by the pa-
thetic tale of the pamon and death of Chrift; and, inftead of weighing
the falutary confequences of that myfterious facrifice, he exclaimed
with indilcreet fury, "Had 1 been prefent at the head of my valiant
" Franks, I would have revenged his injuries 31." But the favagc
conqueror of Gaul was incapable of examining the proofs of a reli-
gion, which depends on the laborious investigation of hiftoric evi-
dence, and fpeculative theology. He was ftill more incapable of
feeling the mild influence of the gofpel, which perfuades and puri-
fies the heart of a genuine convert. His ambitious reign was a
perpetual violation of moral and Chriftian duties ; his hands were

19 A vial (the Saint e Ampoulle) of holy, or 30 Mitis depone colla, Sicamber : adora

rather celeftial, oil, was brought down by a quod incendifti, incendequod adorafti. Greg,

white dove, for the baptifm of Clovis ; and Turon. I. ii. c. 31. in torn. ii. p. 177.

it is ftill ufed, and renewed, in the corona- 31 Si ego ibidem cum Francis meis fuiflem,

tion of the kings of France. Hincmar (he injurias ejus vindicaflem. This ralh exprcf-

Efpircd to the primacy of Gaul) is the firll fion, which Gregory has prudently concealed,

author of this fable (in torn. iii. p. 377.) is celebrated by Fredegarius (Epitoin. c. 21.

whofe flight foundations the Abbe de Vertot in torn. ii. p. 400.), Aimoin (1. i. c. 16. in

(Memoires de l'Academie des Infcriptions, torn. iii. p. 40.), and the Chroniques de St.

torn. ii. p. 619— 633.) has undermined, with Denys (1. i. c. 20. in torn. iii. p. 171.), as

profound refpcct, and confummate dexte- an admirable eftufion of ChriiHan zeal.

ftained

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

567

ftained with blood, in peace as well as in war ; and, as foon as ^ IJ i^ ^

Clovis had difmiffed a fynod of the Gallican church, he calmly af- 1 <—j

faflinated all the princes of the Merovingian race 3\ Yet the king
of the Franks might fincerely worfhip the Chriilian God, as a Being
more excellent and powerful than his national deities ; and the
fignal deliverance and victory of Tolbiac encouraged Clovis to
confide in the future protection of the Lord of Hofls. Martin, the
moft popular of the faints, had filled the Weftern world with the
fame of thofe miracles, which were inceflantly performed at his holy
fepulchre of Tours"' His vifible or invifible aid promoted the caufe
of a liberal and orthodox prince ; and the profane remark of Clovis
himfelf, that St, Martin was an expenfive friend need not be in-
terpreted as the fymptom of any permanent, or rational, fcepticifm.
But earth, as wrell as heaven, rejoiced in the converfion of the
Franks. On the memorable day, when Clovis afcended from the
bapthmal font, he alone, in the Chriftian world, deferved the name
and prerogatives of a Catholic king. The emperor Anaftafius en-
tertained fome dangerous errors concerning the nature of the divine
incarnation; and the Barbarians of Italy, Africa, Spain, and Gaul
were involved in the Arian herefy. The eldeft, or rather the only,
fon of the church, was acknowledged by the clergy as their lawful
fovereign, or glorious deliverer ; and the arms of Clovis were ftre-
nuoufly fupported by the zeal and favour of the Catholic fac-

• 34.

tion .

12 Gregory, (1. ii. c. 40 -43. in torn. ii. p. till the price of his redemption had been

183 — 185.) after coolly relating the repeated doubled. This miracle provoked the king to

crimes, and affected remorfe, of Clovis, con- exclaim, Vere B. Martinus eft bonus in auxi-

cludes, perhaps undefignedly, with a leffon, lio, fed carus in negotio (Gefta Francorum,

which ambition will never hear; " His ita in torn. ii. p. 554, 555.).
M tranfadis . . . obiit." 34 See the epiftle from pope Anaftafius to

33 After the Gothic victory, Clovis made the royal convert (in torn. iv. p. 50, 51.)

rich offerings to St. Martin of Tours. He Avitus, bilhop of Vienna, addreffed Clovis

wiftied to redeem his war-horfe by the gift on the fame fubj eel; (p. 49.); and many of

of one hundred pieces of gold; but the en- the Latin biftiops would affure him of their joy

chanted fteed could not move from the liable and attachment.

3 Under

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. Under the Roman empire, the wealth and iurifdiction of the

XXXVIH. A . J

— > bifhops, their facred character, and perpetual office, their numerous

Submiiaon . ' .

oftheArmo- dependents, popular eloquence, and provincial afiembhes, had ren-
th^Roman dered them always refpeclable, and fometimes dangerous. Their
^d'w m^uence was augmented with the progrefs of fuperftition, and the
fec- eftablifhment of the French monarchy may, in fome degree, be

afcribed to the firm alliance of an hundred prelates, who reigned in
the difcontented, or independent, cities of Gaul. The flight foun-
dations of the Armorican republic had been repeatedly fhaken, or
overthrown ; but the fame people ftill guarded their domeftic free-
dom ; aflerted the dignity of the Roman name; and bravely re-
fitted the predatory inroads, and regular attacks, of Clovis, who
laboured to e*xtend his conquefts from the Seine to the Loire. Their
fuccefsful oppofition introduced an equal and honourable union.
The Franks efteemed the valour of the Armoricans and the Ar-
moricans were reconciled by the religion of the Franks. The mi-
litary force, which had been ftationed for the defence of Gaul,
confifted of one hundred different bands of cavalry or infantry ; and
thefe troops, while they affumed the title and privileges of Roman
foldiers, were renewed by an inceflant fupply of the Barbarian youth.
The extreme fortifications, and fcattered fragments, of the empire,
were ftill defended by their hopelefs courage. But their retreat
was intercepted, and their communication was impracticable : they
were abandoned by the Greek princes of Conftantinople, and they
pioufly difclaimed all connection with the Arian ufurpers of Gaul.
They accepted, without fhame or reluctance, the generous capitula-
tion, which was propofed by a Catholic hero ; and this fpurious, or

35 Inftead of the a^o|ux<"» an unknown Yet an unprejudiced reader would naturally

people, who now appear in the text of Proco- fuppofe, that Procopius means to defcribe a

pius, Hadrian deValois has reitored the proper tribe of Germans in the alliance of Rome;

name of the A^o^n ; and this eafy cor- and not a confederacy of Gallic cities, which

xe&ion has been almoft universally approved, had revolted from the empire.

a legitimate,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

£69

legitimate, progeny of the Roman legions, was diftinguiihed in the xxxviu*

fucceeding age by their arms, their enfigns, and their peculiar drefs ' '

and inftitutions. But the national ftrength was increafed by thefe
powerful and voluntary acceffions ; and the neighbouring kingdoms
dreaded the numbers, as well as the fpirit, of the Franks. The re-
duction of the Northern provinces of Gaul, inftead of being de-
cided by the chance of a fingle battle, appears to have been flowly
effected by the gradual operation of war and treaty; and Clovis
acquired each object of his ambition, by fuch efforts, or fuch con-
ceffions, as were adequate to its real value. His favage character,
and the virtues of Henry IV. fuggeft the moft oppofite ideas of
human nature : yet fome refemblance may be found in the fituation
of two princes, who conquered France by their valour, their policy,
and the merits of a feafonable converfion 35.

The kingdom of the Burgundians, which was defined by the TheBurgun-

dian war,

courfe of two Gallic rivers, the Saone and the Rhone, extended A. D. 499.
from the foreft of Vofges to the Alps and the fea of Marfeilles 37.
The fceptre was in the hands of Gundobald. That valiant and
ambitious prince had reduced the number of royal candidates by the
-death of two brothers, one of whom was the father of Clotilda 38 ;
but his imperfect prudence ftill permitted Godegefil, the youngeft

36 This important digreflion of Procopius pofed to reprefent the kingdom of Burgundy,
(de Bell. Gothic. 1. i. c. 12. in torn. ii. p. A. D. 519. (Concil. Epaon. in torn. iv. p.
2q_j6.) illuftrates the origin of the French 104, 105.)- Yet I would except Vindonifla.
monarchy. Yet I muft obferve, 1. That the The bilhop, who lived under the Pagan Ale-
Greek hiftorian betrays an inexcufable igno- manni, would naturally refort to the fynods
ranee of the geography of the Weft. 2. That of the next Chriftian kingdom. Mafcou (in
thefe treaties and privileges, which mould his four firft annotations) has explained many
leave fome lafting traces, are totally invifible circumftances relative to the Burgundian mo-
in Gregory of Tours, the Salic laws, &c. narchy.

37 Regnum circa Rhodanum aut Ararim 38 Mafcou (Hill, of the Germans, xi. 10.),
cum provincia Maflllienfi retinebaht. Greg, who very reafonably diitrufts the teftimony
Turon. 1. ii. c. 32. in torn. ii. p. 178. The of Gregory of Tours, has produced a paftiige
province of Marfeilles, as far as the Durance, from Avitus (epift. v.), to prove that Gun-
was afterwards ceded to the Oftrogoths : and dobald affe&ed to deplore the tragic event,
ihe lignatures of twenty-five bilhops are fup- which his fubjeifts affefted to applaud.

Vol. III. 4 D of

THE DECLINE AND FALL

of his brothers, to poftefs the dependent principality of Geneva,
The Arian monarch was juftly alarmed by the fatisfadtkm, and the
hopes, which feemed to animate his clergy and people, after the
converfion of Clovis ; and Gundobald convened at Lyons an aflem-
bly of his bifhops, to reconcile, if it were poffible, their religious
and political difcontents. A vain conference was agitated between
the two factions. The Arians upbraided the Catholics with the
worfhip of three Gods : the Catholics defended their caufe by theo-
logical diftin&ions ; and the ufual arguments, objections, and re-
plies, were reverberated with obftinate clamour; till the' king re-
vealed his fecret apprehenfions, by an abrupt but decifive queftion,
which he addreffed to the orthodox bifhops. " If you truly profefs
" the Chriftian religion, why do you not reftrain the king of
" the Franks ? He has declared war againft me, and forms alliances
" with my enemies for my deftruction. A fanguinary and covet-
" ous mind is not the fymptom of a fincere converfion : let him
" fhew his faith by his works." The anfwer of Avitus, bifhop of
Vienna, who fpoke in the name of his brethren, was delivered with
the voice and countenance of an angel. " We are ignorant of the
" motives and intentions of the king of the Franks : but we are
" taught by fcripture, that the kingdoms which abandon the divine
" law, are frequently fubverted ; and that enemies will arife on
" every fide againft thofe who have made God their enemy. Re-
M turn, with thy people, to the law of God, and he will give peace
" and fecurity to thy dominions." The king of Burgundy, who
was not prepared to accept the condition, which the Catholics con-
sidered as effential to the treaty, delayed and difmhTed the ecclefiafti-
cal conference; after reproaching his bifhops, that Clovis, their friend
and profelyte, had' privately tempted the allegiance of his brother39.

The

3? See the original conference (in torn. iv. and probably the fecretary of the meeting,
p. 99 — 102.). Avitus, the principal a&or* was bifhop of Vienna. A ftior: account of

his

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

The allegiance of his brother was already feduced ; and the obe-
dience of Godegefil, who joined the royal ftandard with the troops

of Geneva, more effectually promoted the fuccefs of the confpiracy. ciovis,
While the Franks and Burgundians contended with equal valour, his A,D' 5
feafonable defertion decided the event of the battle ; and as Gundo-
bald was faintly fupported by the difaffected Gauls, he yielded to the
arms of Ciovis, and haftily retreated from the field, which appears
to have been fituate between Langres and Dijon. He diftrufted the
ftrength of Dijon, a quadrangular fortrefs, encompafled by two
rivers, and by a wall thirty feet high, and fifteen thick, with four
gates, and thirty-three towers40 : he abandoned to the purfuit of
Ciovis the important cities of Lyons and Vienna ; and Gundobald
ftill fled with precipitation, till he had reached Avignon, at the
diftance of two hundred and fifty miles from the field of battle.
A long liege, and an artful negociation, admonifhed the king of the
Franks of the danger and difficulty of his enterprife. He impofed
a tribute on the Burgundian prince, compelled him to pardon and
reward his brother's treachery, and proudly returned to his own
dominions, with the fpoils and captives of the fouthern provinces.
This fplendid triumph was foon clouded by the intelligence, that
Gundobald had violated his recent obligations, and that the unfor-
tunate Godegefil, who was left at Vienna with a garrifon of five
thoufand Franks*1, had been befieged, furprifed, and maffacred, by
his inhuman brother. Such an outrage might have exafperated the

his perfon and works may be found in Du- the dukes of Burgundy. Longuerue Defcrip-

pin (Bibiiotheque Ecclefiaftique, torn-, v. p. tion de la France, part i. p. 280.
5 — 10.). *' The Epitomizer of Gregory of Tours

*° Gregory of Tours (1. iii. c. 19. in torn, (in torn. ii. p. 401.) has fupplied this num-

ii. p. 197.) indulges his genius, or father ber of Franks; but he rafhly fuppofes that

tranferibes fome more eloquent writer, in they were cut in pieces by Gundobald. The

the defcription of Dijon ; a cattle, which al- prudent Burgundian fpared the foldiers of

ready deferved the title of a city. It depended Ciovis, and fent thefe captives to the king

on the bifhops of Langres till the twelfth cef£ of the Vifigoths, who fettled them in the ter-

tury, and afterwards became the capital of ritory of Thouloufe.

4 D 2

patience

572

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, patience of the moft peaceful fovereign ; yet the conqueror of Gaul
w - " ',. dilTembled the injury, releafed the tribute, and accepted the alliance,
and military fervice, of the king of Burgundy. Clovis no longer
pofiefTed thofe advantages which had aflured the fuccefs of the pre-
ceding war ; and his rival, inftructed by adverfity, had found new
refources in the affections of his people. The Gauls or Romans ap-
plauded the mild and impartial laws of Gundobald, which almoft
railed them to the fame level with their conquerors. The bifhops
were reconciled, and flattered, by the hopes, which he artfully fug-
gefled, of his approaching converfion ; and though he eluded their
accomplimment to the laft moment of his life ; his moderation fe-
cured the peace, and fufpended the ruin, of the kingdom of Bur-
gundy *\

Final con- I am impatient to purfue the final ruin of that kingdom, which
gundy by the was accomplifhed under the reign of Sigifmond, the fon of Gun-
AD 1^5*2 dobald. The Catholic Sigifmond has acquired the honours of a
faint and martyr 43 ; but the hands of the royal faint were ftained
with the blood of his innocent fon, whom he inhumanly facrificed to
the pride and refentment of a ftepmother. He foon difcovered his
error, and bewailed the irreparable lofs. While Sigifmond embraced
the corpfe of the unfortunate youth, he received a fevere admonition
from one of his attendants : " It is not his fituation, O king ! it is
" thine which deferves pity and lamentation.'* The reproaches of
a guilty confcience were alleviated, however, by his liberal dona-
tions to the monaftery of Agaunum, or St. Maurice, in Vallais ; \
which he himfelf had founded in honour of the imaginary martyrs of

*l Ir. this Bui gundian war I hive followed torn. ii. p. 126 — 162.) has diftin&Iy repre-

Gregory of Tours (1. ii. c. 32, 33. in torn. ii. fenced the caufes and the events,
p. 178, 179 )> whofe narrative appears fo 43 See his life, or legend (in torn. iii. p.

incompatible with that of Procopius (de Bell. 402.). A martyr ! how ftrangely has that

Goth. 1. i. c. 12. in torn. ii. p. -31, 32.), word been diftorted from its original fenfe of

that fome critics have fuppofed t<wo different a common witnefs. St. Sigifmond was pe-

wars. The Abbe Dubos (Hill. Critique, &c. markable for the cure of fevers.

I the

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

573

the Thebajaa legion4*. A full chorus of perpetual pfalmody was

inftituted by the pious king ; he affiduoufly pra&ifed the auftere v

devotion of the monks ; and it was his humble prayer, that heaven
would inflie~t in this world the punifhment of his fins. His prayer
was heard : the avengers were at hand ; and the provinces of Bur-
gundy were overwhelmed by an army of victorious Franks. After
the event of an unfuccefsful battle, Sigifmond, who wimed to pro-
tract his life that he might prolong his pennance, concealed himfelf
in the defert in a religious habit, till he was difcovered and betrayed
by his fubjefts, who folicited the favour of their new matters. The
captive monarch, with his wife and two children, was tranfported to
Orleans, and buried alive in a deep well, by the ftern command
of the fons of Clovis ; whofe cruelty might derive fome excufe
from the maxims and examples of their barbarous age. Their
ambition, which urged them to atchieve the conqueft of Bur-
gundy, was inflamed, or difguifed, by filial piety: and Clotilda,
whofe fanctity did not confift in the forgivenefs of injuries, preffed
them to revenge her father's death on the family of his aflaffin.
The rebellious Burgundians, for they attempted to break their
chains, were ftill permitted to enjoy their national laws under the
obligation of tribute and military fervice ; and the Merovingian
princes peaceably reigned over a kingdom, whofe glory and great-
nefs had been firft overthrown by the arms of Clovis 4S.

** Before the end of the fifth century, the the curious remarks of a learned librarian-

church of St. Maurice, and his Thebsan of Geneva.

legion, had rendered Agaunum a place of 45 Marius, bifhop of Avenche (Chron. in

devout pilgrimage. A promifcuous com- torn. ii. p. 15.) has marked the authentic

munity of both fexes had introduced fome dates, and Gregory of Tours (l.iii. c. 5, 6. in

deeds of darknefs, which were aboliflied torn. ii. p. 188, 1 89.) has exprefled the prin-

(A. D. 515-) by the regular monallery of cipal fads, of the life of Sigifmond, and the

Sigifmond. Within fifty years, his augels of conqueft of Burgundy. Procopius (in torn.

light made a no&urnal fally to murder their ii. p. 34.) and Agathias (in torn. ii. p. 49.)

bilhop, and his clergy. See in the Biblio- fliew their remote and imperfect knowledge,
thequc Raifonnee (torn, xxxvi. p. 435—438.)

The. .

574

CHAP.

XXXVIII.

The Gothic
war,

A. D. 507.

THE DECLINE AND FALL

The firft victory of Clovis had infulted the honour of the Goths.
They viewed his rapid progrefc with jealoufy and terror ; and the
youthful fame of Alaric was opprefTed by the more potent genius
of his rival. Some difputes inevitably arofe on the edge of their
contiguous dominions ; and after the delays of fruitlefs negociation,
a perfonal interview of the two kings was propofed and accepted.
This conference of Clovis and Alaric was held in a fmall ifland of
the Loire, near Amboife. They embraced, familiarly converfed,
and feafted together ; and feparated with the warmeft profeffions
of peace, and brotherly love. But their apparent confidence con-
cealed a dark fufpicion of hoftile and treacherous defigns ; and their
mutual complaints folicited, eluded, and difclaimed, a final arbitra-
tion. At Paris, which he already confidered as his royal feat,
Clovis declared to an affembly of the princes and warriors, the pre-
tence, and the motive, of a Gothic war. " It grieves me to fee that
" the Arians frill poffefs the faireft portion of Gaul. Let us march
againft them with the aid of God ; and, having vanquished the
heretics, we will polfefs, and divide, their fertile provinces 4V
The Franks, who were infpired by hereditary valour and recent
zeal, applauded the generous defign of their monarch ; expreffed
their refolution to conquer or die, iince death and conquer! would
be equally profitable ; and folemmy protefted that they would never
lliave their beards, till victory fhould abfolve them from that incon-
venient vow. The enterprife was promoted by the public, or pri-
vate, exhortations of Clotilda. She reminded her hufband, how
effectually fome pious foundation would propitiate the Deity, ana
his fervants : and the Chriftiari hero, darting his battle-axe with a
Ikilful and nervous hand, " There (faid he), on that foot where my

Gregory of Tours (1. ii. c. 37, in torn, thor of the Gefta' Francorum, in torn. ii. p.

5i. p. 181.) inferrs the mort but perfuafive 593- adds tire precious epithet of opt imam J,

fpeech of Clovis. Valde molefte fero, quod eamus curn Dei adjutorio, et, fuperatis eis,

hi Ariani partem teneant Galliarum (the au- redigamus terrain in ditionem noftram.

2 " Francifca

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

575

** Francifca 47 mall fall, will I erect a church in honour of the holy xi^viil'

" apoftles." This oftentatious piety confirmed and jullified the ' * '

attachment of the Catholics, with whom he fecretly correfponded ;
and their devout wifhes were gradually ripened into a formidable
confpiracy. The people of Aquitain was alarmed by the indifcreet
reproaches of their Gothic tyrants, who jufbly accufed them of pre-
ferring the dominion of the Franks ; and their zealous adherent
Quintianus, bifhop of Rodez 4S, preached more forcibly in his exile
than in his diocefe. To refill thefe foreign and domeftic enemies,
who were fortified by the alliance of the Burgundians, Alaric col-
lected his troops,, far more numerous than the military powers of
Clovis. The Vifigoths refumed the exercife of arms, which they
had neglected in a long and luxurious peace49 : a felect band of va-
liant and robuft flaves attended their mailers to the field 50 ; and the
cities of Gaul were compelled to furnifh their doubtful and re-
luctant aid. Theodoric, king of the Oflrogoths, who reigned in
Italy, had laboured to maintain the tranquillity of Gaul; and he
aflumed, or affected for that purpofe, the impartial character of a
mediator. But the fagacious monarch dreaded the rifing empire of
Clovis, and he was firmly engaged to fupport the national and re-
ligious caufe of the Goths.

47 Tunc rex projecit a fe in dire&um Bi- multitude- ; quamvis Attilam potentem remi-

pennem fuam quod eft Francifca, &c. (Gefta nifcamini Vifigotharum viribus inclinatum ;

ifranc. in tom.ii. p. 554.)- The form, and tamen quia populorum ferocia corda longa

ufe, of this weapon, are clearly defcribed by pace mollefcunt, cavete fubito in aleam mit-

Procopius (in torn. ii. p. 37.). Examples of tere, quos conftat tantis temporibus exer-

its national appellation in Latin and French, citia non habere. Soch was thefalutary, but

may be found in the Gloflary of Ducange, fruitlefs, advice of peace, of reafon, and of

and the large Diclionnaire de Trevoux. Theodoric 'Cafliodor. 1, iii. ep. 2.).

43 It is fingular enough, that fome im- » Montefquieu (Efprit dea Loix, 1. xv. c.

portant and authentic fafts mould be found 14.) mentions and approves the law of the

in a life of Quintianus, compofed in rhyme Vifigoths (I. ix. tit. 2. in torn. iv. p. 425.),

in the old Patois of Rouergue (Dubos Hift. which obliged all mailers to arm, and fend,

Critique, &c. torn. ii. p. 179.). or lead, into the field, a tenth of their

49 Quamvis fortitudini veftne con fidentiam flaves.
tribuat parentum veftrorum innumerabilis

The.

576

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. he accidental, or artificial, prodigies which adorned the expe-

X" X X Y F 1 1 < _

v_ — / dition of Clovis, were accepted by a iuperftitious age, as the mani-

Cio\°is! ° feft declaration of the Divine favour. He marched from Paris ;
' D" 5°7* and as he proceeded with decent reverence through the holy diocefe
■of Tours, his anxiety tempted him to confult the fhrine of St.
Martin, the fanctuary, and the oracle of Gaul. His meffengers
wrere inftrudted to remark the words of the Pfulm, which mould
happen to be chaunted at the precife moment when they entered
the church. Thofe words raoft fortunately expreffed the valour and
victory of the champions of Heaven, and the application was
eafily transferred to the new Jofhua, the new Gideon, who went
forth to battle againft the enemies of the Lord51. Orleans fecured
to the Franks a bridge on the Loire ; but, at the diftance of forty
miles from Poitiers, their progrefs was intercepted by an extraordi-
nary fwell of the river Vigenna, or Vienne ; and the oppofite banks
were covered by the encampment of the Vifigoths. Delay muft be
always dangerous to Barbarians, who confume the country through
which they march ; and had Clovis poffefled leifure and mate-
rials, it might have been impracticable to conftruct a bridge,
.or to force a paflage, in the face of a fuperior enemy. But the
affectionate peafants, who were impatient to welcome their deli-
■verer, could eafily betray fome unknown, or unguarded, ford : the
merit of the difcovery was enhanced by the ufeful interpofition of
fraud or fiction ; and a white hart, of fingular fize and beauty,
appeared to guide and animate the march of the Catholic army.
The counfels of the Vifigoths were irrefolute and diftracted. A

51 This mode of divination, by accepting thefe fcrtes fanftorum, as they are ftiled, were

as an omen the firft facred words, which in repeatedly condemned by the decrees of

particular circumftances mould be prefented councils, and repeatedly praclifed by kings,

to the eye or ear, was derived from the Pa- biftiops, and faints. Gee a curious diflerta-

gans ; and the Pfalter or Bible, was fubfti- tion of the Abbe du Refnel, in the Me-

•tuted .to the poems of Homer and Virgil, moires de l'Acadcmie, torn. xix. p. 2S7— •

Prom the fourth to the fourteenth century, 310.

erowd

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

577

crowd of impatient warriors, prefumptuous in their ftrength, and CHAP.

AA ri. V 11 * •

difdaining to fly before the robbers of Germany, excited Alaric to < * *

afTert in arms the name and blood of the conqueror of Rome. The
advice of the graver chieftains preffed him to elude the firft ardour
of the Franks ; and to expect, in the fouthern provinces of Gaul,
the veteran and victorious Oftrogoths, whom the king of Italy had
already fent to his afliftance. The decifive moments were wafted
in idle deliberation ; the Goths too haftily abandoned, perhaps, an
advantageous poft ; and the opportunity of a fecure retreat was
loft by their flow and diforderly motions. After Clovis had pafTed
the ford, as it is ftill named, of the Hart, he advanced with bold
and hafty fteps to prevent the efcape of the enemy. His nocturnal
march was directed by a flaming meteor, fufpended in the air
above the cathedral of Poitiers; and this fignal, which might be
previoufly concerted with the orthodox fucceffor of St. Hilary, was
compared to the column of fire that guided the Ifraelites in the
defert. At the third hour of the day, about ten miles beyond
Poitiers, Clovis overtook, and inftantly attacked, the Gothic army;
whofe defeat was already prepared by terror and confufion. Yet
they rallied in their extreme diftrefs, and the martial youths, who
had clamoroufly demanded the battle, refufed to furvive the igno-
miny of flight. The two kings encountered each other in fingle
combat. Alaric fell by the hand of his rival ; and the victorious
' Frank was faved by the goodnefs of his cuirafs, and the vigour of
his horfe, from the fpears of two defperate Goths, who furioufly
rode againft him, to revenge the death of their fovereign. The
. vague expreflion of a mountain of the flain, ferves to indicate a
cruel, though indefinite, flaughter; but Gregory has carefully ob-
ferved, that his valiant countryman Apollinaris, the fon of Sido-
nius, loft his life at the head of the nobles of Auvergne. Perhaps
thefe fufpected Catholics had been malicioufly expofed to the blind
1 Vol. IIL 4 E aflault

57^

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXXVill.

N— — v— — '

Conqueft of
Aquitain
by the
Franks,
A. D. 508.

aflliult of the enemy ; and perhaps the influence of religion was fu-
perfeded by perfonal attachment, or military honour 5\

Such is the empire of Fortune (if we may ftill difguife our ig-
norance under that popular name), that it is almoft equally difficult
to forefee the events of war, or to explain their various confequences.
A bloody and complete victory has fometimes yielded no more than
the pofTeflion of the field ; and the lofs of ten thoufand men has
fometimes been fufricient to deftroy, in a fingle day, the work of
ages. The decifive battle of Poitiers was followed by the conqueft.
of Aquitain. Alaric had left behind him an infant fon, a baftard
competitor, factious nobles, and a difloyal people ; and the remain-
ing forces of the Goths were opprefTed by the general confternation,
or oppofed to each other in civil difcord. The victorious king of
the Franks proceeded without delay to the fiege of Angouleme.
At the found of his trumpets the walls of the city imitated the
example of Jericho, and inftantly fell to the ground ; a fplendid
miracle, which may be reduced to the fuppofition, that fome clerical
engineers had fecretly undermined the foundations of the ram-
part At Bourdeaux, which had fubmitted without refiftance,
Clovis eftablifhed his winter-quarters ; and his prudent ceconomy
tranfported fiom Thouloufe the royal treafures, which were depo-
fited in the capital of the monarchy. The conqueror penetrated as
far as the confines of Spain 54 ; reftored the honours of the Catholic

church ;

5* After correcting the text, or excufing
the miftake, of Proccpius, who places the
defeat of Alaric near CairaiTone, we may
conclude from the evidence of Gregory, For-
tunatus, and the author of the Gefta Fran-
corum, that the battle was fought in campa
Vocladenfi, on the banks of the Clain, about
ten miles to the fouth of Poitiers. Clovis
overtook and attacked the Vifigoths near
Vivonne, and the victory was decided near
a village ftill named Champagne St. Hilaire.

See the Differ tations of the Abbe le Eceuf,
torn. i. p. 304 — 331.

53 Angouleme is in the read from Poitiers
to Bourdeaux ; and although Gregory delays
the fiege, I can more readily believe that he
confounded the order of hiftory, than that
Clovis neglected the rules of war.

54 Pyrenaios montes ufque Perpinianum,
fubjecit ; is the expreflion of Rorico, which,
betrays his recent date ; fince Perpignan did
not exift before the tenth century (Marca

Hifpanica^

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

579

church ; fixed in Aquitain a colony of Franks"; and delegated to xxxvin
his lieutenants the eafy tafk of fubduing, or extirpating, the nation ^— v— — *
of the Vifigoths. But the Vifigoths were protected by the wife
and powerful monarch of Italy. While the balance was ftill equal,
Theodoric had perhaps delayed the march of the Oftrogoths; but
their ftrenuous efforts fuccefsfully refifted the ambition of Clovis ;
and the army of the Franks, and their Burgundian allies, was com-
pelled to raife the fiege of Aries, with the lofs, as it is faid, of
thirty thoufand men. Thefe viciffitudes inclined the fierce fpirit of
Clovis to acquiefce in an advantageous treaty of peace. The Vifigoths
were fuffered to retain the polTeffion of Septimania, a narrow tract of
fea-coaft, from the Rhone to the Pyrenees ; but the ample province
of Aquitain, from thofe mountains to the Loire, was indiflblubly
united to the kingdom of France s6.

After the fuccefs of the Gothic war, Clovis accepted the ho- Con fulfil

, . of Clovis,

nours of the Roman conlullhip. The emperor Anaftafius am- A. D. 510.
bitioufly beftowed on the mod powerful rival of Theodoric,
the title and cnfigns of that eminent dignity ; yet, from fome un-

Hifpanica, p. 458.). This florid and fabu- I have ufed the following materials, with due
lous writer (perhaps a monk of Amiens. See regard to their unequal value. Four epiftles
theAbbe le Boeuf, Mem. de l'Academie, torn, from Theodoric king of Italy (Cafliodor. I«
zvii. p. 228 — 245.) relates, in the allegorical iii. epift. 1 — 4. in torn. iv. p. 3 — 5.), Pro-
character of a fhepherd, the general hiftory copius (de Bell. Goth. 1. i. c. 12. in torn. ii.
of his countrymen the Franks ; but his narra- p. 32, 33.), Gregory of Tours (1. ii. c. 35,
,tiye ends with the death of Clovis. 36, 37. in torn. ii. p. 181 — 183.), Jornandes
55 The author of the Gefta Francorum (de Reb. Geticis, c. 58. in torn. ii. p. 28.),
pofitively aifcrms, that Clovis fixed a body of Fortunatus (in Vit. St. Hilarii, in torn, iii,
Franks in the Saintonge and Bourdelois : and p. tf0.), Ifidore (in Chron. Goth, in torn-
he is not injudicioufly followed by Rorico, j;. p. j02.)t the Epitome of Gregory of
ele&os milites, atque fortifumos, cum par- Tours (in torn. ii. p. 401.), the anthor of

vulis, utque mulieribus. Yet it fhould feem the Gefta Francorum (in torn. ii. p. 553

that they foon mingled with the Romans of 555.), the Fragments of Fredegarius (in

Aquitain, till Charlemagne introduced a tom, ii. p. 463.), Aimoin (1. i. c. zo. in

more numerous and powerful colony (Dubos tom. iii. p. 41, 42.), and Rorico (1. iv. in

Hilt- Critique, tom. ii. p. 215.)- tom. iii. p. 14 — 19.).

5t In the compofition of the Gothic war>

4 E 2 known

5«o

T-HE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XXXVIII.

Final efta-
blilhment of
the French
monarchy in
Gaul,
A. D. 536.

known caufe, the name of Clovis has not been infcribed in the Fqfli
either of the Eaft: or Weft On the foiemn day, the monarch of
Gaul, placing a diadem on his head, was inverted, in the church of
St. Martin, with a purple tunic and mantle. From thence he pro-
ceeded on horfeback to the cathedral of Tours ; and, as he pafled
through the ftreets, profufely fcattered, with his own hand, a dona-
tive of gold and filver to the joyful multitude, who inceflantly re-
peated their acclamations of Conful and Auguftus, The actual, or
legal authority of Clovis, could not receive any new acceflions from
the confular dignity. It was a name, a fhadow, an empty pageant ;
and, if the conqueror had been inftruc"ted to claim the ancient pre-
rogatives of that high office, they muft have expired with the period
of its annual duration. But the Romans were dirpofed to revere,
in the perfon of their mafter, that antique title, which the emperors
condefcended to affume : the Barbarian himfelf feemed to contract a
facred obligation to refpect the majefty of the republic ; and the
fucceflbrs of Theodofius, by foliciting his friendfhip, tacitly forgave,
and almoft ratified, the ufurpation of Gaul.

Twenty-five years after the death of Clovis, this important con-
ceffion was more formally declared, in a treaty between his fons
and the emperor Juftinian. The Oftrogoths of Italy, unable to de-
fend their diftant acquifitions, had refigned to the Franks the cities of
Aries and Marfeilles : of Aries, ftill adorned with the feat of a
Prsetorian prsefecl: ; and of Marfeilles, enriched by the advantages cf
trade and navigation This tranfaction was confirmed by the

Imperial

57 The Fafii of Italy would naturally re-
ject 3 conful, the enemy of their fovereign ;
but any ingenious hypothefis that might ex-
plain the filence of Constantinople and Egypt
(the Chronicle of Marcellinus, and the Paf-
chal), is overturned by the fimilar filence of
Marius, bifriop of Avenche, who compofed
his Fafti in the kingdom of Burgundy. If

the evidence of Gregory of Tours were lefs
weighty and pofitive (1. ii. e. 38. in torn. ii.
p. 183.), I could believe that Clovis, like
Odoacer, received the Iafting title and ho-
nours of Patrician (Pagi Critica, torn. ii. p.
474. 492.).

58 Under the Merovingian kings, Mar-
feilles ftill imported from the Eaft, paper,

wine ,

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

Imperial authority; and Juftinian, generoufly yielding to the Franks CHAP.

the fovereignty of the countries beyond the Alps, which they al- i tf . *

ready pofleffed, abfolved the provincials from their allegiance ; and
eftabliihed on a more lawful, though not more folid, foundation
the throne of the Merovingians S9. From that sera, they enjoyed
the right of celebrating at Aries, the games of the Circus ; and by
a iingalar privilege, which was denied even to the Perfian monarch,
the gold coin, imprefled with their name and image, obtained a legal
currency in the empire fio. A Greek hiftorian of that age has praifed
the private and public virtues of the Franks, with a partial enthu-
iiafm, which cannot be fufficiently juftified by their domefric an-
nals 6 \ He celebrates their politenefs and urbanity, their regular
government, and orthodox religion; and boldly afferts, that thefe
Barbarians could be diftinguifhed only by their drefs and language
from the fubjedts of Rome. Perhaps the Franks already difplayed
the focial difpofition, and lively graces, which in every age have
difguifed their vices, and fometimes concealed their intrinfic merit.
Perhaps Agathias, and the Greeks, were dazzled by the rapid pro-
grefs of their arms, and the fplendour of their empire. Since the

wine, oil, linen, filk, precious flones, fpices, Ih tilings will be a fufficient valuation of their

fee. The Gauls, or Franks, traded to Sy- folid us of gold. It was the common flandard

ria, and the Syrians were eftablifhed in Gaul, of the Barbaric fines, and contained forty

See M. de Guignes, Mem. de l'Academie, denarii, or filver threepences. Twelve of

tom.xxxvii. p. 471 — 475. thefe denarii made a folidus, or milling, the

59 Ov y*e so-rt azsro Tx?&iu<; |f» ru cc<r$cc>*i twentieth part of the-ponderal and numeral.

xtxTrc-Dat Qgaryci, pri m ai/Toxjarogo; to i-yw livre, or pound of filver, which has been fo

tvio^xyurano^ twto ye. This ftrong declaration flrangely reduced in modern France. See

of Procopius (de Bell. Gothic. 1. iii. c. 33. le Blanc Traite Hiftorique des Monaoyes de

in torn. ii. p. 41.) would almoft fuffice to France, p. 37- 43, &c.
juftify the Abbe Dubos. 61 Agathias, in torn. ii. p. 47. Gregory

*° The Franks, who probably ufed the of Tours exhibits a very different pifture.

mints of Treves, Lyons, and Aries, imitated Perhaps it would not be eafy, within the ff.me

the coinage of the Roman emperors of fe- hiftorical tpace, to find more vice and lefs

renry-two folidi, or pieces, to the pound of virtue. We are continually fhocked by tne

gold. But as the Franks eftabliihed only a union of favage and corrupt manners,
decuple proportion of gold and filver, ten

conquefl

582

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

xxxviii.

Political
contioverfy.

conqueft of Burgundy, Gaul, except the Gothic province of Sep-
timania, was fubjecl:, in its whole extent, to the fens of Clovis.
They had extinguiftied the German kingdom of Thuringia, and
their vague dominion penetrated beyond the Rhine, into the heart
of their native forefts. The Alemanni, and Bavarians, who had
occupied the Roman provinces of Rhaetia and Noricum, to the fouth
of the Danube, confefled themfelves the humble vaflals of the Franks ;
and the feeble barrier of the Alps was incapable of refilling their
ambition. When the laft furvivor of the fons of Clovis united the
inheritance and conquefts of the Merovingians, his kingdom extended
far beyond the limits of modern France. Yet modern France, fuch
has been the progrefs of arts and policy, far furpafTes in wealth,
populoufnefs, and power, the fpacious but favage realms of Clotaire
or Dagobert 6V

The Franks, or French, are the only people of Europe, who can
deduce a perpetual fucceffion from the conquerors of the Weftern
empire. But their conqueft of Gaul was followed by ten centuries
of anarchy, and ignorance. On the revival of learning, the ftudents
who had been formed in the fchools of Athens and Rome, difdained
their Barbarian anceftors ; and a long period elapfed before patient
labour could provide the requifite materials to fatisfy, or rather to
excite, the curiofity of more enlightened times63. At length the
eye of criticifm and philofophy was directed to the antiquities of

fil M. de Foncemagne has traced, in a
correct and elegant diflertation (Mem. de
l'Academie, torn. viii. p. 505 — 528.) the ex-
tent and limits of the French monarchy.

63 The Abbe Dubos (Hiftdire Critique,
torn. i. p. 29 — 36.) has truly and agreeably
reprefented the flow progrefs of thefe ftudies ;
and he obferves, that Gregory of Tours was
only once printed before the year 1560. Ac-
cording to the complaint of Heineccius

(Opera, torn. iii. Sylloge iii. p. 248, &c),
Germany received with indifference and con-
tempt the codes of Barbaric laws, which were
publifhed by Heroldus, Lindenbrogius, &c.
At prefent thofe laws (as far as they relate to
Gaul), the hiftory of Gregory of Tours, and
all the monuments of the Merovingian race,
appear in a pure and perfeft ftate, in the firft
four volumes of the Hiftorians of France.

France :

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

France: but even philofophers have been tainted by the contagion xxxvni*
of prejudice and paffion. The moft extreme and exclufive fyftems, ■ -.- _■
of the perfonal fervitude of the Gauls, or of their voluntary and
equal alliance with the Franks, have been rafhly conceived, and
obftinately defended: and the intemperate difputants have accufed
each other of confpiring againft the prerogative of the crown, the
dignity of the nobles, or the freedom of the people. Yet the fharp
conflict has ufefully exercifed the adverfe powers of learning and
genius ; and each antagonift, alternately vanquifhed and victorious,
has extirpated fome ancient errors, and eftablifhed fome interefting
truths. An impartial ftranger, inftructed by their difcoveries, their
difputes, and even their faults, may defcribe, from the fame origi-
nal materials, the ftate of the Roman provincials, after Gaul had
fubmitted to the arms and laws of the Merovingian kings 64.

The rudeft, or the moft fervile condition of human fociety, is Laws of the
regulated however by fome fixed and general rules. When Tacitus Barbanans-
furveyed the primitive fimplicity of the Germans, he difcovered
fome permanent maxims, or cuftoms, of public and private life,
which were preferved by faithful tradition, till the introduction
of the art of writing, and of the Latin tongue 65. Before the
election of the Merovingian kings, the moft powerful tribe,
or nation, of the Franks, appointed four venerable chieftains
to compofe the Salic laws 66 j and their labours were examined

and

64 In the fpace of thirty years (1728 — good fenfe and diligence of the Abbe de
1765') this interefting fubjett has been agi- Mably (Obfervations fur l'Hiftoire de France,
tated by the free fpirit of the Count de Boa- z vol. i2mo.).

lainvilliers (Memoires Hiftoriques fur PEtat *s I have derived much inftrudion from
de la France, particularly torn. i. p. 15 — two learned works of Heineccius, the Hijiory,
49.) ; the learned ingenuity of the Abbe Du- and the Elements, of the Germanic law. In
bos (Hiftoire Critique de l'Etabliuement de a judicious preface to the Elements, he con-
la Monarchic Francoife dans les Gauls, 2 fiders, and tries to excufe, the defects of that
vol. in 4to.) ; the comprehenfive genius of the barbarous jurifprudence.
prefident de Montefquieu (Efprit des Loix, 6* Latin appears to have been the original
particularly 1. xxviii. xxx. xxxi.) j and the language of the Salic law. It was probably

compofed

THE DECLINE AND FALL

xxxvin an<^ approve *m three fuccefiive affemblies of the people-. After

u , — < the baptifm of Clovis, he reformed feveral articles that appeared

incompatible with Chriftianity : the Salic law was again amended by
his fonsj and at length, under the reign of Dagobert, the code
was revifed and promulgated in its actual form, one hundred years
after the eftablifhment of the French monarchy. Within the fame
period, the cuftoms of the Ripuarians were tranferibed and publifhed;
and Charlemagne tiimfelf, the legiilator of his age and country, had
accurately ftudied the two national laws, which ftill prevailed among
the Franks67. The fame care was extended to their valTals ; and
the rude inftitutions of the Alemanni and Bavarians were diligently
compiled and ratified by the fupreme authority of the Merovingian
kings. The Vifigoths and Burgundiaiis^ whofe conquefts in Gaul
preceded thofe of the Franks, mewed lefs impatience to attain one
of the principal benefits of civilifed fociety. Euric was the firft of
the Gothic princes, who expreffed in writing the manners and
cuftoms of his people ; and the compofition of the Burgundian laws
was a meafure of policy rather than of juftice; to alleviate the yoke,
and regain the affections, of their Gallic fubjects68. Thus, by a fin-
gular coincidence, the Germans framed their artlefs inftitutions, at
.a time when the elaborate fyftem of Roman jurifprudence was finally
confummated. In the Salic laws, and the Pandects of Juftinian, we
may compare the firft rudiments, and the full maturity, of civil

compofed in the beginning of the fifth cen- rian. The former extended from the Car-

tury, before the sera (A. D. 421.) of thereal bonarian foreir. to the Loire (torn. iv. p.\

or fabulous Pharamond. The preface men- 151.)* and the Iatter might be obeyed from

tions the four Cantons which produced the the fame foreft to the Rhine (torn. iv. p.

four legiflators ; and many provinces, Fran- 222.).

•conia, Saxony, Hanover, Brabant, &c. have *8 Confult the ancient and modern pre-

claimed them as their own. See an excellent faces of the feveral Codes, in the fourth vo-

Differtation of Heineccius, de Lege Salica, lume of the Hiftorians of France. The ori-

tom.iii. Sylloge iii. p. 247 — 267. ginal prologue to the Salic law exprefies

67 Eginhard, inVit. Caroli Magni, c. 29. (though in a foreign dialedl) the genuine

• in torn. v. p. 100. By thefe two laws, moll fpirit of the Franks, more forcibly than the

critics underitand the Salic and the Hipua- ten books of Gregory of Tours.

wifdom ;

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

585

wifdom ; and whatever prejudices may be fuggefted in favour of c JLvm*

A. A. A V ill*

Barbariim, our calmer reflections will afcribe to the Romans the < — — u — — *
fuperior advantages, not only of fcience and reafon, but of humanity
and juftice. Yet the laws of the Barbarians were adapted to their
wants and defires, their occupations and their capacity ; and they
all contributed to preferve the peace, and promote the improve-
ments, of the fociety, for whofe ufe they were originally eftablifhed.
The Merovingians, inftead of impofing an uniform rule of conduct
on their various fubjects, permitted each people, and each family,
of their empire, freely to enjoy their domeflic inftitutions*9 ; nor
were the Romans excluded from the common benefits of this legal
toleration 7°. The children embraced the law of their parents, the
wife that of her hufband, the freedman that of his patron ; and, in
all caufes, where the parties were of different nations, the plaintiff, or
accufer, was obliged to follow the tribunal of the defendant, who
may always plead a judicial prefumption of right, or innocence.
A more ample latitude was allowed, if every citizen, in the prefence
of the judge, might declare the law under which he defired to
live, and the national fociety to which he chofe to belong. Such
an indulgence would abolifh the partial diftinctions of victory ; and
the Roman provincials might patiently acquiefce in the hardfhips of
their condition ; fince it depended on themfelves to affume the pri-
vilege, if they dared to affert the character, of free and warlike Bar-
barians 7'-

When

*9 The Ripuarian law declares, and de- cnm altero habeat (in torn. vi. p. 356.). He
fines, this indulgence in favour of the plaintiff foolifhly propofes to introduce an uniformity
(tit. xxxi. in torn. iv. p. .24^.) ; and the fame of law, as well as of faith,
-toleration is underflood, or exprefTed, in all 70 Inter Rornanos negotia caufarum Ro-
the Codes, except that of the Vifigoths of manis legibus prascipimus terminari. Such
Spain. Tanta diverfitas legum (fays Age- are the words of a general conftitution pro-
bard, in the ninth century) quanta non folum mulgatedby Clotaire, the fon of Clovis, and
in regionibus, aut civitatibus, fed etiam in fole monarch of the Franks (in torn. iv. p.
multis domibus habetur. Nam plerumque 116.), about the year 560.
contingit ut fimul eant aut fedeant quinque 71 This liberty of choice has been aptly
homines, et nullus eorum commuKm legem deduced (Efprit des Loix, 1. xxviii. 2.) from

Vol. III. 4 F a confli-

586

THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap. When iuftice inexorably requires the death of a murderer, each

xxxviii. , .„ „

« „ > private citizen is fortilied by the affurance, that the laws, the ma-

finesXr^ho- giftrate, and the whole community, are the guardians of his per-
fonal fafety. But in the loofe fociety of the Germans, revenge was
always honourable, and often meritorious : the independent war-
rior chaftifed, or vindicated, with his own hand, the injuries which
he had offered, or received ; and he had only to dread the refent-
ment of the fons, and kinfmen, of the enemy whom he had facri-
ficed to his felfifti or angry paflions. The magiftrate, confcious of
his weaknefs, interpofed, not to punifh, but to reconcile ; and he
was fatisfied if he could perfuade, or compel, the contending par-
ties to pay, and to accept, the moderate fine which had been
afcertained as the price of blood71. The fierce fpirit of the Franks
would have oppofed a more rigorous fentence ; the fame fiercenefs
defpiled thefe ineffectual restraints : and, when their fimple manners
had been corrupted by the wealth of Gaul, the public peace was
continually violated by acts of hafty or deliberate guilt. In every
juft government, the fame penalty is inflicted, or at Ieaft is impofed,
for the murder of a peafant, or a prince. But the national inequality
eftablifhed by the Franks, in their criminal proceedings, was the laft

a conflitution of Lothaire I. (Leg. Lango- by the MS. of Fulda, from whence Heroldus

bard, 1. ii. tit. lvii. in Codex Lindebrog. p. publilhed his edition. See the four original

664.): though the example is too recent and texts of the Salic law, in torn. iv. p. 147.

partial. From a various reading, in the 173. 196. 220.

Salic law, (tit. xliv. not xlv.) the Abbe de 71 In the heroic times of Greece, tke guilt

Mably (torn. i. p. 290 — 293.) has con- of murder was expiated by a pecuniary fa-

jeelured, that, at firil, a. Barbarian only, and tisfaction to the family of the deceafed (Fei-

afterwards any man (confequently a Roman), thius Antiquitat. Homeria, I. ii. c. 8.).

might live according to the law of the Franks. Hcineccius, in his preface to the Elements

I am forry to offend this ingenious conjecture of Germanic Law, favourably fuggefls,

byobferving, that the ftri&er fenfe (Barba- that at Rome and Athens homicide was only

rum) is expreffed in the reformed copy of punifhed with exile. It is true : but exile

Charlemagne; which is confirmed by the was a r«///rt/punimment for a citizen of Rome

Royal and Wolfenbuttle MSS. The loofer or Athens. s
interpretation (bominem) is authorised only

infult

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 587

mfult arid abufe of conqueft ". In the calm moments of legiflation, Vvxvifj'

they folemnly pronounced, that the life of a Roman was of fmaller v

value than that of a Barbarian. The Antrujiion 7+, a name expref-
five of the moft illuftrious birth or dignity among the Franks, was
appreciated at the fum of fix hundred pieces of gold ; while the
noble provincial, who was admitted to the king's table, might be
legally murdered at the expence of three hundred pieces. Two
hundred were deemed fufficient for a Frank of ordinary condition ;
but the meaner Romans were expofed to difgrace and danger by a
trifling compenlation of one hundred, or even fifty, pieces of gold.
Had thefe laws been regulated by any principle of equity or reafon,
the public protection Ihould have fupplied in juft proportion the
want of perfonal ftrength. But the legiflator had weighed in the
fcale, not of juftice, but of policy, the lofs of a foldier againft that
of a Have : the head of an infolent and rapacious Barbarian was
guarded by an heavy fine ; and the flighted: aid was afforded to the
moft defencelefs fubje&s. Time infenfibly abated the pride of the
conquerors, and the patience of the vanquifhed ; and the boldeft
citizen was taught by experience, that he might fuffer more injuries
than he could inflict. As the manners of the Franks became lefs
ferocious, their law's were rendered more fevere ; and the Merovin-
gian kings attempted to imitate the impartial rigour of the Vifigoths
and Burgundians 7S. Under the empire of Charlemagne, murder was

univerfally

73 This proportion is fixed by the Salic firft order of Franks ; but it is a queftion
(tit. xliv. in torn. iv. p. 147.) and the Ripua- whether their rank was perfonal, or heredi-
rian (tit. vii. xi. xxxvi. in torn. iv. p. 237. tary. The Abbe de Mably (tom.i. p. 334—
241 .) laws : but the latter does not diftinguifli 347.) is not difpleafed to mortify the pride of
any difference of Romans. Yet the orders birth (Efprit, 1. xxx. c. 25.), by dating the
of the clergy are placed above the Franks origin of French nobility from the reign of
themfelves, and the Burgundians and Ale- Clotaire II. 'A. D. 615.)

manni between the Franks and the Ro- - 75 See the Burgundian laws (tit. ii. in
mans. torn, iv. p. 257.), the Code of the Vifigoth*

74 The Antruftiones, qui in trujle Dominica (1. vi. tit. v. in torn. iv. p. 384.), and the
funt, leudi-, Jidda, undoubtedly reprefent the conftitution of Childebertt not of Paris, but

4 F 2 moit

588 THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. univerfally punifhed with death ; and the ufe of capital punifhments
^_ . - ■ has been liberally multiplied in the jurifprudence of modern
Europe 76.

Judgments The civil and military profemons, which had been feparated by
Conftantine, were again united by the Barbarians. The harm found
of the Teutonic appellations was mollified into the Latin titles of
Duke, of Count, or of Prefect ; and the fame officer aiTumed>
within his diftricl:, the command of the troops, a-nd the adminiftration
of juftice 11 . But the fierce and illiterate chieftain was feldom qua-
lified to difcharge the duties of a judge, which require all the fa-
culties of a philofophic mind, laborioufly culsivated by experience
and fludy ; and his rude ignorance was compelled to embrace fome
fimple, and vifible, methods of afcertaining the caufe of juftice. In
every religion, the Deity has been invoked to confirm the truth,
or to punifh the falfehood, of human teftimony ; but this powerful
inftrument was mifapplied, and abufed, by the fimplicity of the
German legiflators. The party accufed might j unify his innocence,,
by producing before their tribunal a number of friendly witnefTes, who
folemnly declared their belief or affurance, that he was not guilty-
According to the weight of the charge, this legal number of compur-
gators was multiplied ; feventy-two voices were required to abfolve
an incendiary, or affaffin : and when the chaftity of a queen of

moft evidently of Auftrafia (in torn. iv. p. of Heineccius, the Elemer.ta Juris Germa-

112.). Their premature feverity was fome- nici, 1. ii. p. ii. N° 261, 262. 280—283.

times rafh, and exceffive. Childebert con- Yet fome veftiges of thefe pecuniary compo-

demned not only murderers but robbers ; fitions for murder, have been traced in Ger-

<juomodo fine lege involavit, fine lege mori- many, as late as the fixteenth century,
atur ; and even the negligent judge was 71 The whole fubject of the Germanic

involved in the fame fentence. The Vifi- judges, and their juriidi&ion, is copioully

goths abandoned an unfuccefsful furgeon to treated by Heineccius (Element. Jur. Germ,

family of his deceafed patient, ut quod de eo 1. iii. N° 1—72.). I cannot find any proof,,

facere voluerint habeant poteftatem (1. xi. tit. that, under the Merovingian race, the fcabiniy

i. in torn. iv. p. 435-)- or affeffors, were chofen by the people.
16 See in the fixth volume of the works

France

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

589

combats*

France was fufpected, three hundred gallant nobles fwore, without ^xxviii"

hefitation, that the infant prince had been actually begotten by her 1 1 '

deceafed hufband 78. The fin, and fcandal, of manifeft and frequent
perjuries engaged the magistrates to remove thefe dangerous tempt-
ations ; and to lupply the defects of human teftimony, by the fa-
mous experiments of fire and water. Thefe extraordinary trials were
fo capricioufly contrived, that, in fome cafes, guilt, and innocence
in others, could not be proved wkhout the interpofition of a miracle.
Such miracles were readily provided by fraud and credulity ; the
moft intricate caufes were determined by this eafy and infallible
method ; and the turbulent Barbarians, who might have difdained
the fentence of the magiftrate, fubmiflively acquiefced in the judg-
ment of God 79 .

But the trials by fingle combat gradually obtained fuperior credit judicial
and authority, among a warlike people, who could not believe, that
a brave man deferved to fuffer, or that a coward deferved to live 80.
Both in civil and criminal proceedings, the plantifF, or accufer, the
defendant, or even the witnefs,- were expofed to mortal challenge
from the antagonift who was deftitute of legal proofs ; and it was
incumbent on them, either to defert their caufe, or publicly to main-
tain their honour in the lifts of battle. They fought either on foot
or on horfeback, according to the euftom of their nation 81 ; and the.

decifion

73 Gregor. Turon. L viii. c. 9. in torn. ii. that the pure element of nuater would not
p. 316. Montefquieu obferves (Efprit* des allow the guilty to fink into its bofom.
Loix, 1. xxviii. c. 13.), that the Salic law did 80 Montefquieu (Efprit des Loix, 1. xxviii..
not admit thefe negative proofs fo univerfally c. 17.) has condefcended to explain and ex-
eflablifned in the Barbaric tudes. Yet this cufe ** la manicre de penfer de nos peres,"
obfcure concubine (Fredegundis), who be- on the fubjecl of judicial combats. He fol-
came the wife of the grandfon of Clovis, muft lows this ftrange inftitution from the age of
have followed the Salic law. Gundobald to that of St. Lewis ; and the phi-

79 Muratori, in the Antiquities of Italy, lofopher is fometimes loft in the legal anti-
has given two Diflertations (xxxviii, xxxix.) quarian.

on the judgments of God. It was expected, Sx In a memorable duel at Aix-la-Cha-
that Jtrt would not burn the Lnnocent ; and pelle (A. D. 820.), before the emperor Lewis

the

5go THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, decifion of the fword, or lance, was ratified by the fanction of

XXXVIII.

y_ _w- _* Heaven, of the judge, and of the people. This fanguinary law was
introduced into Gaul by the Burgundians ; and their legiflator Gun-
dobald81 condefcended to anfwer the complaints and objections of
his fubject Avitus. " Is it not true," faid the king of Burgundy
to the bifhop, " that the event of national wars, and private com-
" bats, is dire&ed by the judgment of God; and that his providence
" awards the victory to the jufter caufe ?" By fuch prevailing ar-
guments, the abfurd and cruel practice of judicial duels, which had
been peculiar to fome tribes of Germany, was propagated and efta-
blifhed in all the monarchies of Europe, from Sicily to the Baltic.
At the end of ten centuries, the reign of legal violence was not
totally extinguifhed ; and the ineffectual cenfures of faints, of popes,
and of fynods, may feem to prove, that the influence of fuperftition
is weakened by its unnatural alliance with reafon and humanity. The
tribunals were ftained with the blood, perhaps, of innocent and re-
fpectable citizens ; the law, which now favours the rich, then yielded
to the ftrong ; and the old, the feeble, and the infirm, were con-
demned, either to renounce their faireit claims and polTeflions, to
fuftain the dangers of an unequal conflict *\ or to truft the doubtful
aid of a mercenary champion. This oppreflive jurifprudence was
impofed on the provincials of Gaul, who complained of any inju-

the Pious ; his biographer obferves, fecun- bilhop of Lyons, folicited Lewis the Pious to

dum legem propriam, utpote quia uterque a' olifh the law of an Arian tyrant (in torn.

Gothus erat, equcftri pugna congreffus eft vi. p. 356 — 358.). He relates the conver-

(Vit. Lud. Pii, c. 33. in torn. vi. p. 103.). fation of Gundobald and Avitus.

Ermoldus Nigellus (1. iii. 543 — 628. in torn. 83 " Accidit (fays Agobard), ut non fo-

vi. p. 48 — 50.), who defcribes the duel, ad- " lum valentes viribus, fed etiam infirmi et

miies the, arsnova of fighting on horfeback, " fenes laceflantur ad pugnam, etiam pro

which was unknown to the Franks. " viliffimis rebus. Quibus foralibus certa-

81 In his original edict, publilhed at Lyons " minibus contingunt homicidia injufta; et

(A. D. 501.), Gundobald eftablifties and " crudeles ac perverfi eventus judiciorum."

juuifies the ufe of judicial combat (Leg. Bur- Like a prudent rhetorician, he fupprefles the

o und. tit. xlv. in torn. ii. p. 267, 268.). legal privilege of hiring champions.
Three hundred years afterwards, Agobard,

3 ries

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 591

CHAP.
XXXVIII.

ries in their perfons and property. Whatever might be the ftrength,
or courage, of individuals, the victorious Barbarians excelled in the
love and exercife of arms ; and the vanquifhed Roman was unjuftly
fummoned to repeat, in his own perfon, the bloody conteft, which
had been already decided againft his country 84.

A devouring hoft of one hundred and twenty thoufand Germans Divi/ion of

lands by the

had formerly pafTed the Rhine under the command of Arioviftus. Barbarians.
One third part of the fertile lands of the Sequani was appropriated to
their ufe ; and the conqueror foon repeated his oppreffive demand
of another third, for the accommodation of a new colony of twenty-
four thoufand Barbarians, whom he had invited to mare the rich
harveft of Gaul S5. At the diftance of five hundred years, the Vili-
goths and Burgundians, who revenged the defeat of Arioviftus,
ufurped the fame unequal proportion of two-thirds of the fubject
lands. But this diftribution, inflead of fpreading over the province,
may be reafonably confined to the peculiar diftricts where the victo-
rious people had been planted, by their own choice, or by the policy
of their leader. In thefe diftricts, each Barbarian was connected by
the ties of hofpitality with fome Roman provincial. To this un-
welcome gueft, the proprietor was compelled to abandon two-thirds
of his patrimony : but the German, a fhepherd, and a hunter, might
fometimes content himfelf with a fpacious range of wood and
pafture, and refign the fmalleft, though moft valuable, portion, to
'the toil of the induftrious hufbandman So. The filence of ancient and

authentic

s* Montefquieu (Efprit des Loix, xxviii. iii. 543. in torn. vi. p. 48.), and the anony-
c. 14.), who underftands nvby the judicial mous biographer of Lewis the Pious (c. 46.
combat was admitted by the Burgundians, in torn. vi. p. 112.) as the " mos antiquum
Ripuarians, Alemanni, Bavarians, Lombards, Francorum, more Francis folito," Sec. ex-
Thuringians, Frifons, and Saxons, isfatisfied preflions too general to exclude the noblelt of
(r.nd Agobard feems to countenance the affer- their tribes.

tion), that it was not allowed by the Salic law. *5 Cas far de Bell. Gall. 1. i.e. 31. in torn.
Yet the fame cuftom, at lead in cafes of trea- i. p. 213.

fon, is mentioned by Ermoldus Nigellus (1. 86 The ob feu re hints of a divifion of lands

occafionally

THE DECLINE AND FALL

XXXVlii* aut<nentlc teftimony has encouraged an opinion, that the rapine of

<— v > the Franks was not moderated, or difguifed, by the forms of a

legal divifion ; that they difperfed themfelves over the provinces of
Gaul, without order or controul ; and that each victorious robber,
according to his wants, his avarice, and his ftrength, meafured, with
his fword, the extent of his new inheritance. At a diftance from
their fovereign, the Barbarians might indeed be tempted to exercife
fuch arbitrary depredation ; but the firm and artful policy of Clovis
muft curb a licentious fpirit, which would aggravate the mifery of
the vanquifhed, whilft it corrupted the union, and difcipline of the
conquerors. The memorable vafe of Soiflbns is a monument, and a
pledge, of the regular diftribution of the Gallic fpoils. It was the
duty, and the intereft, of Clovis to provide rewards for a fuccefsful
army, and fettlements for a numerous people ; without inflicting
any wanton, or fuperfluous injuries, on the loyal catholics of Gaul.
The ample fund, which he might lawfully acquire, of the Imperial
patrimony, vacant lands, and Gothic usurpations, would diminilh
the cruel neceffity of feizure and confifcation ; and the humble pro-
vincials would more patiently acquiefce in the equal and regular
diftribution of their lofs 37.
Domain and The wealth of the Merovingian princes confifted in their exten-
the Merovin- flve domain. After the conqueft of Gaul, they ftill delighted in the
gians. ruftic Simplicity of their anceftors : the cities were abandoned to foli-

occafionally fcattered in the laws of the Bur- their right, unlefs they were barred by a pre-

gundians (tit. liv. N° i, 2. in torn. iv. p. 27 1, fcription of fifty years.

272.), and Vifigoths (1.x. tit. i. N° 8, 9. 16. 87 It is fingular enough, that the prefident

in torn. iv. p. 4,28, 429, 430.), are Ikilfully de Montefquieu (Efprit desLoix,l.xxx.c. 7.),

explained by the prefident Montefquieu and the Abbe de Mably (Obfervations, torn.

(Efprit des Loix, 1. xxx. c. 7, 8, 9.). I fhall i. p. 21, 22.), agree in this itrange fup-

only add, that, among the Goths, the divi- pofition of arbitrary and private rapine,

fion feems to have been afcertained by the The count de Boulainvilliers (Etat de la

judgment of the neighbourhood ; that the France, torn. i. p. 22, 23.) fhews a ftrong

Barbarians frequently ufurped the remaining underltanding, though a cloud of ignorance,

third ; and, that the Romans might recover and prejudice.

fcude

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 593

tude and decay ; and their coins, their charters, and their fynods, are
ftill infcribed with the names of the villas, or rural palaces, in which
they fucceflively refided. One hundred and fixty of thefe polities ; a
title which need not excite any unfeafonable ideas of art or luxury,
were fcattcred through the provinces of their kingdom ; and if feme
might claim the honours of a fortrefs, the far greater part could be
efleemed only in the light of profitable farms. The manfion of the
long-haired kings was furrounded with convenient yards, and ftables,
for the cattle and the poultry ; the garden was planted with ufeful
vegetables ; the various trade?, the labours of agriculture, and even
the arts of hunting and fiming, were exercifed by fervile hands for
the emolument of the fovereign ; his magazines were filled with corn
and wine, either for fale or confumption ; and the whole admini-
ftration was conducted by the ftrideft maxims of private ceconomy 8S.
This ample patrimony was appropriated to fupply the hofpitable
plenty of Clovis, and his fuccefTors ; and to reward the fidelity of
their brave companions, who, both in peace and war, were de-
voted to- their perfonal fervice. Inftead of an horfe, or a fuit of
armour, each companion, according to his rank, or merit, or favour,
was inverted with a be?iefice^ the primitive name, and moft fimple
form of the feudal pofTeflions. Thefe gifts might be refumed at the
pleafure of the fovereign ; and his feeble prerogative derived fome
fupport from the influence of his liberality. But this dependent tenure
was gradually abolifhed 89 by the independent and rapacious nobles

88 See the ruftic edict, or rather code, of has invefligated the names, the number, and

Charlemagne, which contains fevc.ity diltinct the fituation of the Merovingian villas,
and minute regulations of that great monarch 89 From a paflage of the Burgurldian law

(in torn. v. p. 652—657.). He requires an (tit. i. N° 4. in torn. iv. p. 257.), it is evi-

account of the horns and fkins of the goats, dent, that a deferving fon might expett to

allows his fifti to be fold, and carefully di- hold the lands which his father had received

reds, that the larger villas (Capitane*) fhall from the royal bounty of Gundobald. The

maintain one hundred hens and thirty geefe; Burgundians would firmly maintain their

and the fmaller (Manfionaks) fifty hens and privilege, and their example might encourage

twelve geefe. Mabillon (de Rc Diplomatica) the beneficiaries of Fiance,

Vol. III. 4 G of

CHAP.
XXXVIII.

594

THE DECLINE AND FALL

xxxvm °^ ^'r'lnce' eftablifhed the perpetual property, and hereditary

v , — o fucceflion, of their benefices : a revolution falutary to the earth,,

which had been injured, or neglected, by its precarious m afters 9°..
Befides thefe royal and benehciary eftates, a large proportion had been
affigned, in the divifion of Gaul, of allodial and Salic lands: they
were exempt from tribute, and the Salic lands were equally fhared
among the male defcendants of the Franks 9\
private In the bloody difcord, and filent decay of the Merovingian line,

ufurpations. a new or(jer Gf tyrants arofe in the provinces, who, under the ap-
pellation of Seniors, or Lords, ufurped a right to govern, and a
licence to opprefs, the fubjedts of their peculiar territory. Their
ambition might be checked by the hoftile refiftance of an equal : but1
the laws were extinguifhed ; and the facrilegious Barbarians, who
dared to provoke the vengeance of a faint or bifhop *2, would feldom
refpect the landmarks of a profane and defencelefs neighbour. The
common, or public, rights of nature, fuch as they had always been
deemed by the Roman jurifprudence 93, were feverely reftrained by
the German conquerors, whofe amufement, or rather pafTion, was
the exercife of hunting. The vague dominion, which Man has
affumed over the wild inhabitants of the earth, the air, and the waters,
was confined to fome fortunate individuals of the human fpecies..
Gaul was again overfpread with woods ; and the animals, who were,
referved for the ufe, or pleafure, of the lord, might ravage, with
impunity, the fields of his induftrious vaiTals. The chace was the;

s° The revolutions cf the benefices and 92 Many of the two hundred and fix mi-
fiefs are clearly fixed by the A be de Mably. racles of St. Martin (Greg. Turon. in Maxi-
His accurate diftinction of times gives him a- ma Billiothcca Patrum, torn. xi. p. 896 —
merit to which even Montefquieu is a 932.) were repeatedly performed to punifh
ftranger. facrilege. Audite hasc omnes (exclaims the

*! See the Salic law (tit. Ixii. in torn. iv. biihop of Tours), poteftatem habentes, after

p. 156.). The origin and nature of thefe relating, how fome horfes run mad, that had

Salic lands, which, in times cf ignorance, been turned into a facred meadow,

we're perfectly underflood, now perplex our 93 Hcinec. Element. Jur. German. 1. ii,\.

moft'learned and fagacious critics. p. 1. N° 8.

iacred.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

facred privilege of the nobles, and their domeftic fervants. Plebeian c H A

AAA \

tranfgreffors were legally chaftifed with {tripes and imprifonment 9+ ; \ — -v— ->
but in an age which admitted a flight compofition for the life of a
citizen, it was a capital crime to deftroy a ftag or a wild bull within
the precincts of the royal forefts 9S.

According to the maxims of ancient war, the conqueror became Perfonal
the lawful mafter of the enemy whom he had fubdued and fpared55: vltUQC'
and the fruitful caufe of perfonal flaveiy, which had been almoft
fupprefted by the peaceful fovereignty of Rome, was again revived
and multiplied by the perpetual hoftilities of the independent Barba-
rians. The Goth, the Burgundian, or the Frank, who returned
from a fuccefsful expedition, dragged after him a long train of fheep,
of oxen, and of human captives, whom he treated with the fame
brutal contempt. The youths of an elegant form and ingenuous afpect,
were fet apart for the domeftic fervice ; a doubtful fituation, which
alternately expofed them to the favourable, or cruel, impulfe of
pamon. The ufeful mechanics and fervants (fmiths, carpenters,
taylors, fhoemakers, cooks, gardeners, dyers, and workmen in gold
and filver, &c.) employed their fkill for the ufe, or profit, of their
mafter. But the Roman captives who were deftitute of art, but

94 Jonas, bifhop of Orleans (A. D. 821 — crat. I. i. c. 4.) a.Terts the rights of nature,
826. Cave, Hift. Litteraria, p. 443.) cen- and expofes the cruel practice of the twelfth
fures the legal tyranny of the nobles. Pro century. See Heineccius, Elem. Jur. Germ,
feris, quas cura hominum non aluit, fed 1. ii. p. i. N° 5 1 — 57.

Deus in commune mortalibus ad utendum 98 The cuftom of enfiaving prifoners of

ccncefilt, pauperes a pctentioribus fpoliantur, war was totally extinguished in the thirteenth

flagellantur, ergaftalis detruduntur, et multa century, by the prevailing influenceof Chrifti-

alia patiuntur. Hoc enim qui faciunt, lege anity ; but it might be proved, from frequent

tr.undi fe facere jufte poffe contendant. De pafiages of Gregory of Tours, Sec. that it

Inftitutione Laicorum, 1. ii. c. 23. apud was pradtifed, without cenfure, under the

Thomaffin, Difcipline de l'Eglife, torn. iii. Merovingian race ; and even Grotius himfelf

p. 1348. (de Jure. Belli et Pacis, 1. iii. c. 7.), as well

95 On a mere fufpicion, Chundo, a cham- as his commentator Barbeyrac, have labour-
berlain of Gontran, king of Burgundy, was ed to reconcile it with the laws of nature and
f:oned to death (Greg. Turon. 1. x. c. io. in reafon.
torn. ii. p. 369.). John of Sal i (bury (Poli-

4 G 2 capable

S96

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C HAP. capable of labour, were condemned, without regard to their former
XXXVIII.

1 1 ' rank, to tend the cattle, and cultivate the lands of the Barbarians.

The number of the hereditary bondfmen, who were attached to the
Gallic eftates, was continually increafed by new fupplies ; and the
fervilc people, according to the fituation and temper of their lords,
was fometimes raifed by precarious indulgence, and more frequently
deprefled by capricious defpotifm 97. An abfolute power of life and
death was exercifed by thefe lords ; and when they married their
daughters, a train of ufeful fervants, chained on the waggons to-
prevent their efcape, was fent as a nuptial prefent into a diflant
country98. The majefty of the Roman laws protected the liberty
of each citizen, againft the ram effects of his own diftrefs, or defpair.
But the fubjects of the Merovingian kings might alienate their per-
fonal freedom ; and this act of legal fuicide, which was familiarly
practifed, is exprefTed in terms moft difgraceful and afflicting to the
dignity of human nature 09. The example of the poor, who pur-
chafed life by the facrifice of all that can render life defirable, was
gradually imitated by the feeble and the devout, who, in times of
public diforder, pufillanimoully crowded to fhelter themfelves under
the battlements of a powerful chief, and around the fhrine of a po-
pular faint. Their fubmifTion was accepted by thefe temporal, or
fpiritual, patrons ; and the hafty tranfaction irrecoverably fixed their

"7 The ftate, profeflions, &c. of the Ger- bourhood of Paris, were forcibly fent away

man, Italian, and Gallic Haves, during the into Spain.

middle ages, are explained by Heineccius 99 Licentiam habeatis mihi qualemcunque-

(Element. Jur. Germ. I. i. N° 28 — 47.),Mu- volueritis difciplinam ponere ; vel venum-

ratori (Diflertat. xiv, xv.)f Ducange (Gloff.' dare, aut quod vobis placuerit de me facere,

fub voce Servt'J, and the Abbe de Mably Marculf. Formul. 1. ii. 28. in torn. iv. p. 497.

(Obfervations, torn. ii.p. 3, &c. p. 237, &c). The Formula of Lindenbrogius (p- 559-)>

sS Gregory of Tours (1. vi. c. 45. in torn, and that of Anjou (p. 565.) are to the fame

ii. p. 289.) relates a memorable example, in effect. Gregory of Tours (1. vii. c. 45. in

which Chilperic only abufed the private torn. ii. p. 311.) fpeaks of many perfons,

rights of a matter. Many families, which who fold themfelves for bread, in a great

belonged to his domus ffcales, in the neigh- famine.

6 own

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

597

own condition, and that of their lateft pofterity. From the reign of CHAP.

XXXVIII*

Clovis, during five fucceffive centuries, the laws and manners of ^ ? , *

Gaul uniformly tended to promote the increafe, and to confirm the
duration, of perfonal fervitude. Time and violence almoft obliterated
the intermediate ranks of fociety ; and left an obfcure and narrow
interval between the noble and the flave. This arbitrary and
recent divilion has been transformed by pride and prejudice into a
national diftinction, univerfally eftablifhed by the arms and the laws
of the Merovingians. The nobles, who claimed their genuine, or
fabulous, defcent, from the independent and victorious Franks, have
afferted, and abufed, the indefeafible right of conqueft, over a pro-
ftrate crowd of flaves and plebeians, to whom they imputed the
imaginary difgrace of a Gallic, or Roman, extraction.

The general ftate and revolutions of France, a name which was Example of.

Auvergne*

impofed by the conquerors, may be illuftrated by the particular ex-
ample of a province, a diocefe, or a fenatorial family. Auvergne had
formerly maintained a juft pre-eminence among the independent
ltates and cities of Gaul. The brave and numerous inhabitants dis-
played a fingular trophy ; the fword of Csefar himfelf, which he had
loft when he was repulfed before the walls of Gergovia I0°. As the
common offspring of Troy, they claimed a fraternal alliance with
the Romans 101 ; and if each province had imitated the courage and
loyalty of Auvergne, the fall of the Weftern empire might have been
prevented, or delayed. They firmly maintained the fidelity which
they had reluctantly fworn to the Vifigoths ; but when their braved

100 When Ca?far favv it, he laughed (PIu- feven hundred men (de Bell. Gallico, 1. vi.

tarch. in C;cfar. in torn. i. p. 409.) : yet he c- 44~ 53- in tom- »• P- 270-272.).

, _ • • r re 1 r c : lot Audebant fe quondam fratres Latio

relates his unfuccelsful liege or Gergovia, a

.. _ dicere, et fanguine ab Ihaco populos com-

with lefs franknefs than we might expeft putare (Sidon. Apollinar. j. yiif Cpift. 7. in
from a great man to whom vidory was fa- tom> • p> ?gg ^ j am nQt informed of the
miliar. He acknowledges, however, that degrees and circumftances of this fabulous
in one attack he loft forty-fix centurions and pedigree.

nobles

THE DECLINE AND FALL

nobles had fallen in the battle of Poitiers, they accepted, without
refiftance, a victorious and catholic fovereign. This eafy and va-
luable ccnqueft was atchieved, and poffefled, by Theodoric, the
eldeft fon of Clovis : but the remote province was feparated from his
Auftrafian dominions, by the intermediate kingdoms of Soiffons,
Paris, and Orleans, which formed, after their father's death, the
inheritance of his three brothers. The king of Paris, Childcbert,
was tempted by the neighbourhood and beauty of Auvergne I0\ The
Upper country, which rifes towards the fouth into the mountains of
the Cevennes, prefented a rich and various profpect of woods and
paftures ; the fides of the hills were clothed with vines ; and each
eminence was crowned with a villa or caftle. In the Lower Auvergne,
the river Allier flows through the fair and fpacious plain of Limagne;
and the inexhauftible fertility of the foil fupplied, and ftill fupplies,
without any interval of repofe, the conftant repetition of the fame
harvefts 10\ On the falfe report, that their lawful fovereign had been
flaiii in Germany, the city and diocefe of Auvergne were betrayed
by the grandfon of Sidonius Apollinaris. Childebert enjoyed this
clandeftine victory ; and the free fubjects of Theodoric threatened to
defert his ftandard, if he indulged his private refentment, while the
nation was engaged in the Burgundian war. But the Franks of
Aullrafia foo'n yielded to the perfualive eloquence of their king.
" Follow me," faid Theodoric, " into Auvergne : I will lead you
" into a province, where you may acquire gold, filver, flaves, cattle,
<; and precious apparel, to the full extent of your wifhes. I repeat

. ,01 Either the firft, or fecond, partition ,C3 For the defcription of Auvergne, fee

among the fori s of Clovis, had given Berry to Sidonius (1. iv. epifl. 21. in torn. i. p. 793.),

Childebirt (Greg. Turon. 1. iik c. 12. in torn, with the notes of Savaron and Sirmond (p.

ii. p. 192.). Velim (faid he), Arvernam 279. and 51. of their refpeclive editions),

pemantm, quae tanta jocunditatis gratir. re- Bou'ainvilliers (Etat de la France, torn. ii.

fulg?re dicitur oculis 'cernere (1. iii. c. 9. p. p. 242 — 268.), and the Abbe de la Lon-

191.). The face of the country was con- guerue (Defcription de la France, pa.rt i. p„

cealeJ by a thick fog, when the king of Paris 132—139.).
made his entry into Clermont. ■ ,

1 " my

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

599

" my promife : I give you the people, and their wealth, as your C H A P.
j i r i J » ; XXXVIII.

" prey ; and you may tranfport them at pleafure into your own • — *

u country." By the execution of this promife, Theodoric juft-
Ly forfeited the allegiance of a people, whom he devoted to de-
ftruction. His troops, reinforced by the fierceft Barbarians of Ger-
many IC+, fprcad defolation over the fruitful face of Auvergne ; and
two places only, a ftrong caftle, and a holy fhrine, were faved, or
redeemed, from their licentious fury. The caftle of Meroliac 105 was
feated on a lofty rock, which rofe an hundred feet above the fur-
face of the plain ; and a large refervoir of frefh water was inclofed,
with fome arable lands, within the circle of its fortifications. The
Franks beheld with envy and defpair this impregnable fortrefs : but
they furprifed a party of fifty ftragglers; and, as they were opprefled by
the number of their captives, they fixed, at a trifling ranfom, the al-
ternative of life or death for thefe wretched victims, whom the cruel
Barbarians were prepared to mafTacre on the refufal of the garrifon.
Another detachment penetrated as far as Brivas, or Brioude, where
the inhabitants, with their valuable effects, had taken refuge in the
fanctuary of St. Julian. The doors of the church refifted the affault ;
but a daring foldier entered through a window of the choir, and
opened a paiiage to his companions. The clergy and people, the
facred and the profane fpoils, were rudely torn from the altar ; and
the facrilegious divifion was made at a fmall diftance from the town
of Brioude. But this act of impiety was feverely chaftifed by the
devout fon of Clovis. He punifhed with death the moil atrocious

104 Furorem gentium, qua; de ulteriore nedictine editors of Gregory of Tours (in

Rheni amnis parte venerant, fuperare non torn. ii. p. 192.) have fixed this fortrefs at a

poterat ^Greg. Turon. 1. iv. c. 50. in tom.ii. place named Cajlel Merliac, two miles from

229.), was the excufe of another king of Mauriac, in the Upper Auvergne. In this

A ultrafia (A. D. 574.), for the ravages which defcription, I tranflate infra as if I read

his troops committed in the neighbourhood of intra; the two prepofitions are perpetually

P^is. » confounded by Gregory, or his tranfcribers j

'■*'3 From the name and fituation, the Be- and the fenfe mud always decide.

offenders ;

6oo

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, offenders ; left their fecret accomplices to the vengeance of St. Julian ;

XXXVIII.

«_ -L- _.'» releafed the captives ; reftored the plunder ; and extended the rights
of fan&uary, five miles round the fepulchre of the holy martyr ,06.

Story of At- Before the Auftrafian army retreated from Auvergne, Theodoric
exacted fome pledges of the future loyalty of a people, whofe juft
hatred could be reftrained only by their fear. A felecl band of noble
youths, the fons of the principal fenators, was delivered to the con-
queror, as the hoftages of the faith of Childebert, and of their
countrymen. On the firft rumour of war, or confpiracy, thefe
guiltlefs youths were reduced to a ftate of fcrvitude ; and one of
them, Attalus ,0?, whole adventures are more particularly related,
kept his mafter's horfes in the diocefe of Treves. After a painful
fearch, he was difcovered, in this unworthy occupation, by the
emiflaries of his grandfather, Gregory bifliop of Langres ; but his
offers of ranfom were fternly rejected by the avarice of the Barbarian,
who required an exorbitant fum of ten pounds of gold for the free-
dom of his noble captive. His deliverance was effected by the
hardy ftratagem of Leo, a flave belonging to the kitchens of the
bifhop of Langres '°3. An unknown agent eafily introduced him into
the fame family. The Barbarian purchafed Leo for the price of
twelve pieces of gold j and was pleafed to learn, that he was deeply

108 See thefe resolutions, and wars, of error, which cannot be imputed to igno-

Auvergne, in Gregory of Tours (1. ii. c. 57. ranee, is excufed, in fome degree, by its

in torn. ii. p. 183. and 1. iii. c. 9. 12, 13. own magnitude.

p. 191, 192. de Miraculis St. Julian, c. 13. 108 This Gregory, the great grandfather of

in torn. ii. p. 466.). He frequently betrays Gregory of Tours (in torn. ii. p. 197. 490.),

his extraordinary attention to his native lived ninety-two years; of which he pafl'ed

country. forty, as count of Autun, and thirty-two, as

107 The ftory of Attalus is related by Gre- bifliop of Langres. According to the poet

gory of Tours (1. iii. c. 16. in torn. ii. p. Fortunatus, he difplayed equal merit in thefe

193 — 195..). His editor, the P. Ruinart, different ftations.

confounds this Attalus, who was a youth Nobilis antiqua decurrens prole parentum,
(puer) in the year 532, with a friend of Si- Nobilior geftis, nunc fuper aftra manet.

donius of the fame name, who was count of Arbiter anteferox, dein pius ipfe facerdos,
Autun, fifty or fixty years before. Such an Quos domuit judex, fovet amore patris.

Skilled

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

60 1

ikilled in the luxury of an epifcopal table: " Next Sunday," faid CHAP.

1T-1 T •• • XXXV III.

the Frank, " I lhall invite my neighbours, and kinfmen. Exert s. — , — ~*
" thy art, and force them to confefs, that they have never feen, or
*' tailed, fuch an entertainment, even in the king's houfe." Leo
aflured him, that, if he would provide a fufficient quantity of
poultry, his wifhes mould be fatisfied. The mafter, who already
afpired to the merit of elegant hofpitality, aflumed, as his own, the
praife which the voracious guefts unanimoufly bellowed on his cook;
and the dextrous Leo infenfibly acquired the truft and management of
his houfehold. After the patient expectation of a whole year, he cau-
tioufly whifpered his defign to Attalus, and exhorted him to prepare for
flight in the enfuing night. At the hour of midnight, the intemperate
guefts retired from table ; and the Frank's fon-in-law, whom Leo at-
tended to his apartment with a nocturnal potation, condefcended
to jeft on the facility with which he might betray his truft. The in-
trepid Have, after fuftaining this dangerous raillery, entered his
mailer's bed-chamber ; removed his fpear and fhield ; filently drew
the fleeteft horfes from the ftable ; unbarred the ponderous gates ;
and excited Attalus to fave his life and liberty by inceffant diligence.
Their apprehenfions urged them to leave their horfes on the banks of
the Meufe 109 ; they fwam the river, wandered three days in the
adjacent foreft, and fubfifted only by the accidental difcovery of a
wild plum-tree. As they lay concealed in a dark thicket, they
heard the noife of horfes ; they were terrified by the angry coun-
tenance of their mafter, and they anxioufly liftened to his declara-
tion, that, if he could feize the guilty fugitives, one of them he
would cut in pieces with hisfword, and would expofe the other on a
gibbet. At length, Attalus, and his faithful Leo, reached the friendly

100 As M. de Valois, and the P. Ruinart, the alteration. Yet, after fome examination
are determined to change the Mo/ella of the of the topography, I could defend the corn-
text into Mo/a, it becomes me to acquiefce in mon reading.

Vol. III. 4 H habitation

602

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP, habitation of a prefbyter of Rheims, who recruited their fainting

XXXVIII. r

w - ftrength with bread and wine, concealed them from the fearch of
their enemy, and fafely conducted them, beyond the limits of the
Auftrafian kingdom, to the epifcopal palace of Langres. Gregory
embraced his grandfon with tears of joy, gratefully delivered Leo,
with his whole family, from the yoke of fervitude, and beftowed on
him the property of a farm, where he might end his days in hap-
pinefs and freedom. Perhaps this fmgular adventure, which is
marked with fo many circumftances of truth and nature, was related
by Attalus himfelf, to his coufin, or nephew, the firft hiftorian of
the Franks. Gregory of Tours 110 was born about fixty years after
the death of Sidonius Apollinaris; and their fituation was almoft
fimilar, fince each of them was a native of Auvergne, a fenator, and
a bifhop. The difference of their ftyle and fentiments may, there-
fore, exprefs the decay of Gaul; and clearly afcertain how much,
in fo fhort a fpace, the human mind had loft of its energy and re-
finement

TheVRoman$f ^C are n0W <llian^e^ t0 defpife the oppofite, and, perhaps, art-
of Gaul. ful, mifreprefentations, which have foftened, or exaggerated, the
oppreflion of the Romans of Gaul under the reign of the Merovin-
gians. The conquerors never promulgated any an'roerfal edict of
fervitude, or confifcation : but a degenerate people, who excufed
their weaknefs by the fpecious names of politenefs and peace,

110 The parents of Gregory (Gregorias ab urbihus Gallicanis liberalium cultura li-

Florentius Georgius) were of noble extrac- terarum, &c, (in prafat. in torn. ii. p. 137.),

tion (natahbus. .. illujlres), and they poflefTed is the complaint of Gregory hinifjlf, which

large eftates (latifur.dia) bo'th in A'.ivergne he fully verifies by his own work. His ftyle

and Burgundy. He was born in the year is equally devoid of elegance and firnplicity.

539, was confecrated bilhop of Tours in 573, In a confpicuous .ftation he ftill remained a

and died in 593, or 595, foon after he had ftranger to his own age and country ; and in

terminated his hiftory. See his Life by Ode, a prolix work (the five laft books contain

abbot of Clugny (in torn. ii. p. 129—135.), ten years) he has omitted almoft everything

and a new Life in the Memoires de l'Acade- that pofterity defires to learn. I have tedi-

mie, &c. torn. xxvi. p. 598— 637. oufly acquired, by a painful perufal, the right

M1 Decedente atque immo potius pereunte of pronouncing this unfavourable fentence.

5 waa

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 603

was expofed to the arms and laws of the ferocious Barbarians, who C H ^ ^

AAA V 1H.

contemptuoufly infulted their pofTeflions, their freedom, and their
fafety. Their perfonal injuries were partial and irregular; but the
great body of the Romans furvived the revolution, and ftill preferred
the property, and privileges, of citizens. A large portion of their
lands was exacted for the ufe of the Franks : but they enjoyed the
remainder, exempt from tribute"1; and the fame irrefiftible violence
which fwept away the arts and manufactures of Gaul, deftroyed the
elaborate and expenfive fyftem of Imperial defpotifm. The Provin-
cials muft frequently deplore the favage jurifprudence of the Salic
or Ripuarian laws ; but their private life, in the important concerns
of marriage, teftaments, or inheritance, was ftill regulated by the
Theodofian Code ; and a difcontented Roman might freely afpire, or
defcend, to the title and character of a Barbarian. The honours of
the ftate were acceffible to his ambition : the education and temper of
the Romans more peculiarly qualified them for the offices of civil
government; and, as foon as emulation had rekindled their military
ardour, they were permitted to march in the ranks, or even at the
head, of the victorious Germans. I mail not attempt to enumerate
the generals and magiftrates, whofe names 1,3 atteft the liberal policy
of the Merovingians. The fupreme command of Burgundy, with
the title of patrician, was fucceffively entrufted to three Romans ; "
and the laft, and moft powerful, Mummolus who alternately

1,1 The Abbe de Mably (torn. i. p. 247 man, extraction (J. vi. c. 11! in torn. LL

— 267) has diligently confirmed this opinion p. 273.); and Claudius, a Barbarian (I. vii.

of the prefident de Montefquieu (Efprit des c. 29. p. 303.).

Loix, I. xxx. c. 13.). 1,4 Eunius Mummolus is repeatedly men-

. 1,3 See Dubos, Hilt. Critique de la Mo- tioned by Gregory of Tours, from the fourth

r.archie Francoife, torn. ii. 1. vi. c. 9, 10. (c. 42. p. 224.) to the feventh (c. 40. p.

The French antiquarians eflablifh as a prin- 310.) book. The computation by talents

eip'ie, that the Romans and Barbarians may is fingular enough ; but if Gregory attached

be diftinguifhed by their names. Their names any meaning to that obfolete word, the trea-

undoubtedly form a reafonable prefumption; fures of Mummolus muft have exceeded

yet in reading Gregory of Tours, I have 100,000 1. fterling.
obferved Gondulfus, of Senatorian, or Ro-

4 H 2 faved

6o4 THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. faVed and difturbed the monarchy, had fupplanted his father in the

— v 1 ftation of count of Autun, and left a treafure of thirty talents of gold,

and two hundred and fifty talents of filver. The fierce and illiterate
Barbarians were excluded, during feveral generations, from the dig-
nities, and even from the orders, of the church ,,s. The clergy of
Gaul conflicted almoft entirely of native Provincials ; the haughty
Franks fell proftrate at the feet of their fubjects, who were dignified
with the epifcopal character ; and the power and riches which had
been loft in war, were infenfibly recovered by fuperftition "6. In all
temporal affairs, the Theodofian Code was the univerfal law of the
clergy ; but the Barbaric jurifprudence had liberally provided for
their perfonal fafety: a fub-deacon was equivalent to two Franks;
the anirujlion, and prieft, were held in fimilar eftimation ; and the
life of a bifliop was appreciated far above the common ftandard, at
the price of nine hundred pieces of gold "7. The Romans commu-
nicated to their conquerors the ufe of the Chriftian religion and Latin
language 1,8 : but their language and their religion had alike dege-
nerated from the fimple purity of the Auguftan, and Apoftolic, age..
The progrefs of fuperftition and Barbarifm was rapid and univerfal :
the worfhip of the faints concealed from vulgar eyes the God of the
Chriftians •> and the ruftic dialect of peafants and foldiers was cor-

1.5 See Fleury, Difcours iii. fur 1'Hiftoire Yet Prastextatus, archbifhop of Rouen, was-
Ecclefiaftique. affaflinated by the order of queen Fredegun-

1.6 The bHhop of Tours himfelf has re- dis, before the altar (Greg. Turon. 1. viii.
corded the complaint of Chilperic, the grand- c. 31. in torn. ii. p. 326.).

fon of Clovis. Ecce pauper remanfit Fifcus 113 M. Bonamy (Mem. de l'Academie des

nofter; ecce di\itix noftra? ad ecclefias funt Infcriptions, torn. xxiv. p. 582—670.) has

tranflats : nulli penitus nifi foli Epifcopi afcertained the Lingua Romana Rufiica,

regnant (1. vi. c. 46. in torn. ii. p. 291.). which, through the medium of the Romance,

117 See the Ripuarian Code (tit. xxxvi. has gradually been polifhed into the aftual

in torn. iv. p- 241.). The Salic law does form of the French language. Under the

not provide for the fafety of the clergy ; and Carlovingian race, the kings and nobles of

we might fuppofe, on the behalf of the more France ftill underftood the dialed of their

civilized tribe, that they had not forefeen German anceftors.
fuch an impious adt as the murder of a prieft.

rupted

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

605

rupted by a Teutonic idiom and pronunciation. Yet fuch intefcourfe CHAP.

XXXVIII*

of facred and focial communion, eradicated the diftinctions of birth < v '

and victory ; and the nations of Gaul were gradually confounded
under the name and government of the Franks.

The Franks, after they mingled with their Gallic fubjects, might Anarchy of
have imparted the moft valuable of human gifts, a fpirit, and fyftem, the Fran*s*
of conftitutional liberty. Under a king, hereditary but limited,
the chiefs and counfellors might have debated, at Paris, in the palace
of the Casfars : the adjacent field, where the emperors reviewed their
mercenary legions, would have admitted the legiflative aflembly of
freemen and warriors ; and the rude model, which had been fketched
in the woods of Germany "', might have been polifhed and im-
proved by the civil wifdom of the Romans. But the carelefs Barba-
rians, fecure of their perfonal independence, difdained the labour of
government: the annual afiemblies of the month of March were
filently abolifhed ; and the nation was feparated, and almoft dif-
folved, by the conqueft of Gaul The monarchy was left without
any regular eftablifhment of juflice, of arms, or of revenue. The
fucceflbrs of Clovis wanted refolution to aiTume, or ftrength to exer-
cife, the legillative and executive powers, which the people had
abdicated: the royal prerogative was diftinguifhed only by a more
ample privilege of rapine and murder ; and the love of freedom, fa
often invigorated and difgraced by private . ambition, was reduced,
among the licentious Franks, to the contempt of order, and the de-
fire of impunity. Seventy-five years after the death of Clovis, his
grandfon, Gontran, king of Burgundy, fent an army to invade the
Gothic poffeffions of Septimania, or Languedoc. The troops of

Ce beau fyfteme a ere trouve dans les feem that the inftitution of national aflem-

bois. Moatefquieu, Efprit des Loix, 1. xi. blies, which are coeval with the French na-

c. 6. tion, have never been congenial to its tem-

120 See the Abbe de Mably. Obferva- per.
tions, &c. torn. i. p. 34—56. It fliould

2 Burgundy,

6o6

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. Burgundy, Berry, Auvergne, and the adjacent territories, were ex-

XXXVIII* r r 'i mi

\_ cited by the hopes or fpoil. They marched, without difcipline,

under the banners of German, or Gallic, counts : their attack was
feeble and unfuccefsful ; but the friendly and hoflile provinces were
defolated with indifcriminate rage. The corn-fields, the villages,
the churches themfclves, were confirmed by fire ; the inhabitants
were maifacred, or dragged into captivity ; and, in the diforderly
retreat, five thoufand of thefe inhuman favages were deftroyed by
hunger or interline difcord. When the pious Gontran reproached
the guilt, or neglect, of their leaders ; and threatened to inflict, not
a legal fentence, but inftant and arbitrary execution ; they accufed
the univerfal and incurable corruption of the people. " No one,"
they faid, " any longer fears or refpects his king, his duke, or his
" count. Each man loves to do evil, and freely indulges his cri-
" minal inclinations. The moft gentle correction provokes an im-
" mediate tumult ; and the rafh magiftrate, who prefumes to cenfure,
u or reftrain, his feditious fubjects, feldom efcapes alive from their
" revenge ,2'." It has been referved for the fame nation to expofe,
by their intemperate vices, the moft odious abufe of freedom ; and
to fupply its lofs by the fpirit of honour and humanity, which now
alleviates and dignifies their obedience to an abfolute fovereign.
TheVifi- The Vifigoths had refigned to Clovis the greater!: part of their
Spain °f Gallic pofTefTions ; but their lofs was amply compenfated by the
eafy conqueft, and fecure enjoyment, of the provinces of Spain.
From the monarchy of the Goths, which foon involved the Suevic
kingdom of Galicia, the modern Spaniards flill derive fame national
vanity: but the hiftorian of the Roman Empire is neither invited,

,M Gregory of Tours (1. viii. c. 30. in vitate vita? veftrx, emendare conatur, ftatim

torn, ii. p. 325, 326.) relates, with much in- feditio in populo, ftatim tumultus exoritur,

difference, the crimes, the reproof, and the et in tantum unufquifque contra feniorem,

apology. Nullus Regem metuit, nullus Du- fxva intentione graflatur, ut vix fe credat

cem, nullus Comitem reveretur ; et ft for- evadeie, fi tandem filere nequiverit.
taflis' alicui ifta difplicent, et ea, pro longx-

nor

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

nor compelled, to purfue the obfcure and barren feries of their an- c„J*v^n?T'

AAA Villa.

nals The Goths of Spain were feparated from the reft of man- >—
kind, by the lofty ridge of the Pyrenasan mountains : their manners
and inftitutions, as far as they were common to the Germanic tribes,
have been already explained. I have anticipated, in the preceding
chapter, the moft important of their eccl'efiaftical events, the fall of
Arianifm, and the perfecution of the Jews : and it only remains to
obferve fome interefting circumftances, which relate to the civil and
ecclefiaftical conftitution of the Spanifh kingdom.

After their converfion from idolatry or herefy, the Franks and the Legiflative
Yifigoths were difpofed to embrace, with equal fubmiffion, the in- ofSpain/
herent evils, and the accidental benefits, of fuperftition. But the
prelates of France, long before the extinction of the Merovingian
race, had degenerated into fighting and hunting Barbarians. They
difdained the ufe of fynocls; forgot the laws of temperance and cha-
ftity; and preferred the indulgence of private ambition and luxury,
to the general intereft of the facerdotal profeffion ,2J. The bifhops
of Spain refpected themfelves, and were refpected by the public:
their indiflbluble union difguifed their vices, and confirmed their au-
thority ; and the regular difcipline of the church introduced peace,
order, and liability into the government of the ftate. From the reign
of Recared, the firft Catholic king, to that of Witiza, the imme-
diate predeceffor of the unfortunate Roderic, fixteen national councils
were fucceffively convened. The fix Metropolitans, Toledo, Seville,
Merida, Braga, Tarragona, and Narbonne, prefided according to
their refpective feniority; the affembiy was compofed of their fuf-

J" Spain, in thefe dark ages, has been 113 Such are the complaints of St. Boni-
peculiarly unfortunate. The Franks had a face, the apoflle of Germany, and the re-
Gregory of Tours ; the Saxons, or Angles, former of Gaul (in torn. iv. p. 94.). The
a Bede ; the Lombards a Paul Warnefrid, fourfcore years, which he deplores, of licence
&c. But the hiftory of the Vifigoths is con- and corruption, would feem to infinuate that
tained in the fhort and imperfect chronicles the Barbarians were admitted into the clergy
of Ifidore of Seville, and John of Biclar. about the year 660.

fragan

6o8 THE DECLINE AND FALL

cr ^A p- fragan bifhops, who appeared in perfon, or by their proxies; and a

XXXVIII.

v- place was afiigned to the moft holy, or opulent, of the Spanifh ab-

bots. During the firft three days of the convocation, as long as they
agitated the ecclefiaftical queilions of dodtrine and difcipline, the
profane laity was excluded from their debates; which were con-
ducted, however, with decent foiemnity. But, on the morning of
the fourth day, the doors were thrown open for the entrance of the
great officers of the palace, the dukes and counts of the provinces,
the judges of the cities, and the Gothic nobles : and the decrees of
Heaven were ratified by the confent of the people. The fame rules
were obferved in the provincial affemblies, the annual fynods which
were empowered to hear complaints, and to redrefs grievances ; and
a legal government was fupported by the prevailing influence of the
Spanifh clergy. The bifhops, who, in each revolution, were prepared
to flatter the victorious, and to infult the proftrate, laboured, with
diligence and fuccefs, to kindle the flames of perfecution, and to
exalt the mitre above the crown. Yet the national councils of
Toledo, in which the free fpirit of the Barbarians was tempered and
guided by epifcopal policy, have eftablifhed fome prudent laws for
the common benefit of the king and people. The vacancy of the
throne was fupplied by the choice of the bifhops and Palatines ;
and, after the failure of the line of Alaric, the regal dignity was flill
limited to the pure and noble blood of the Goths. The clergy, who
anointed their lawful prince, always recommended, and fometimes
pracYifed, the duty of allegiance : and the fpiritual cenfures were de-
nounced on the heads of the impious fubjects, who mould refift his
authority, confpire again!! his life, or violate, by an indecent union,
the chaility even of his widow. But the monarch himfelf, when he
afcended the throne, was bound by a reciprocal oath to God and his
people, that he would faithfully execute his important truft. The
real or imaginary faults of his adminiftration were fubjedl: to the con-

troul

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

troul of a powerful ariftocracy ; and the bifhops and palatines were yyvvttt'

AAA \ iU.*

guarded by a fundamental privilege, that they mould not be degrad- v

ed, imprifoned, tortured, nor punifhcd with death, exile, or con-
fifcation, unlefs by the free and public judgment of their peers

One of thefe lefriflative councils of Toledo, examined and ratified Code of the

. . r ~ Vifigoths.

the code of laws which had been compiled by a fucceffion of Gothic
kings, from the fierce Euric, to the devout Egica. As long as the
Vifigoths themfelves were fatisfied with the rude cuftoms of their
anceftors, they indulged their fubjecls of Aquitain and Spain in the
enjoyment of the Roman law. Their gradual improvement in arts, in
policy, and at length in religion, encouraged them to imitate, and
to fuperfede, thefe foreign inftitutions ; and to compofe a code of
civil and criminal jurifprudence, for the ufe of a great and
united people. The fame obligations, and the fame privileges,
were communicated to the nations of the Spanifh monarchy : and the
conquerors, infenfihly renouncing the Teutonic idiom, fubmitted to
the reftraints of equity, and exalted the Romans to the participation
of freedom. The merit of this impartial policy was enhanced by
the fituation of Spain, under the reign of the Vifigoths. The Pro-
vincials were long feparated from their Arian mafters, by the irre-
concilable difference of religion. After the converfion of Recared
had removed the prejudices of the Catholics, the coafts, both of the
Ocean and Mediterranean, were ftill pofTefTed by the Eaftern empe-
rors ; who fecretly excited a difcontented people, to rejedt the yoke
of the Barbarians, and to afTert the name and dignity of Roman
citizens, The allegiance of doubtful fubjects is indeed moft effec-
tually fecured by their own perfuafion, that they hazard more in a

"+ The afts of the councils of Toledo are 17, 18. vii. 1. xiii. 2, 3. 6.). I have found

ilill the moft authentic records of the church Mafcou (Hift. of the ancient Germans, xv.

and constitution of Spain. The following 29. and Annotations, xxvi. and xxxiii.) and

paflages are particularly important (iii. 17, Ferreras (Hift. Generale de l'Efpagne, torn.

18. iv. 75. v. 2, 3, 4, 5. 8, vi. 1 1, 12, 13, 14. ii.) very ufeful and accurate guides.

Vol. III. 4 I revolt,

6io

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Revolution
of Britain.

CHAP, revolt, than they can hope to obtain by a revolution ; but it has

XXXVJH. ' r

v_ -„ / appeared fo natural to opprefs thofe whom we hate and fear, that

the contrary fyftem well deferves the praife of wifdom and modera-
tion ,1S.

While the kingdoms of the Franks and Vifigoths were eftablifhed
in Gaul and Spain, the Saxons atchieved the conqueft of Britain, the
third great diocefe of the Praefe&ure of the Weft. Since Britain was
already feparated from the Roman empire, I might, without re-
proach, decline a ftory, familiar to the moft illiterate, and obfcure to
the moft learned, of my readers. The Saxons, who excelled in the
ufe of the oar, or the battle-axe, were ignorant of the art which
could alone perpetuate the fame of their exploits : the Provincials,
relapfing into Barbarifm, neglected to defcribe the ruin of their coun-
try; and the doubtful tradition was almoft extinguimed, before the
miffionaries of Rome reftored the light of fcience and Chriftianity.
The declamations of Gildas, the fragments, or fables, of Nennius,
the obfcure hints of the Saxon laws and chronicles, and the ecclefia-
ftical tales of the venerable Bede ,16, have been illuftrated by the
diligence, and fometimes embellifhed by the fancy, of fucceeding
writers, whofe works I am not ambitious either to cenfure, or to
tranfcribe ,2?. Yet the hiftorian of the empire may be tempted to

115 The Code of the Vifigoths, regularly
divided into twelve books, has been correcUy
publiilied by Dom Bouquet (in torn. iv. p.
273 — 460.). It has been treated by the pre-
fident de Montefquieu (Efprit des Loix, i.
xxviii. c. 1.) with exceflive feverity. I dif-
like the ftyle ; I deteft the fuperftition ; but

I fhall prefame to think, that the civil ju-
rifprudence difplays a more civilifed and en-
lightened Hate of fociety, than that of the
Burgundians, or even of the Lombards.

126 See Gildas de Excidio Britanniae, c.

II — 25. p. 4 — 9. edit. Gale. Nennius Hill.
Britonum, c. 28. 35 — 65. p. 105 — 115. edit.

Gale. Bede Hilt. Ecclefiaft. Genti; Anglos
rum, Y. i. c. 12 — 16. p. 49—53, c. 22. p -
58. edit. Smith. Chron. Saxonicum, p. ii-
— 23, &c. edit. Gibfon. The Anglo-Saxon
laws were publilhed by Wilkins, London
1731, in folio; and the Leges Wallica:, by
Wotton and Clarke, London 1730, in folio.

117 The laborious Mr. Carte, and the in-
genious Mr. Whitaker, are the two modern
writers to whom I am principally indebted.
The particular hiftorian of Manchefter em-
braces, under that obfcure title, a fubjedl
almoft as extenfive as the general hiftory of
England.

purfue

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

purfue the revolutions of a Roman province, till it vaniihes from CHAP.
1 . , , XXXVIII.
his fight ; and an Englifhman may curioufly trace the eftablifhment « v - t

of the Barbarians, from whom he derives his name, his laws, and per-
haps his origin.

About forty years after the difiblution of the Roman government, Defcent of
Vortigern appears to have obtained the fupreme, though precarious, a^dT^'.
command of the princes and cities of Britain. That unfortunate
monarch has been almoft unanimoufly condemned for the weak and
mifchievous policy of inviting'18 a formidable ftranger, to repel the
vexatious inroads of a domeftic foe. His ambaffadors are difpatched,
by the graveft hiftorians, to the coaft of Germany ; they addrefs a
pathetic oration to the general alTembly of the Saxons, and thofe
warlike Barbarians refofve to affift with a fleet and army the fuppliants
of a diftant and unknown ifland. If Britain had indeed been unknown
to the Saxons, the meafure of its calamities would have been lefs com-
plete. But the ftrength of the Roman government could not always
guard the maritime province againft the pirates of Germany : the
independent and divided ftates were expofed to their attacks ; and the
Saxons might fometimes join the Scots and the Picts, in a tacit, or
exprefs, confederacy of rapine and deftruction. Vortigern could
only balance the various perils, which afTaulted on every fide his
throne and his people ; and his policy may deferve either praife or
excufe, if he preferred the alliance of thofe Barbarians, whofe naval
power rendered them the molt dangerous enemies, and the mod fer-
viceable allies. Hengift and Horfa, as they ranged along the Eaftern
coaft with three fhips, were engaged, by the promife of an ample
ftipend, to embrace the defence of Britain ; and their intrepid valour

118 This invitation, which may derive fome even Hume, have too freely ufed this fufpi-

countenance from the loofe expreflions of cious evidence, without regarding the pre-

Gildas and Bede, is framed into a regular cife ahd probable teftimony of Nennius :

ftory by Witikind, a Saxon monk of the Interea venerunt tres Chiuke a Germania

tenth century (fee Coufin, Hift. de PEmpire txilit pulfa?, in quibus erant Hors et Hengift.
d'Occident, torn. ii. p. 356.)- Rapin, and

4 I 2 foon

6ii

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.
XXXVIII.

V. y .-u .1

Eftablilh-
ment of the
Saxon hep-
tarchy,
A.D.455-
582.

foon delivered the country from the Caledonian invaders. The ifle
of Thanet, a fecure and fertile diftricl:, was allotted for "the refidence
of thefe German auxiliaries, and they were fupplied, according to
the treaty, with a plentiful allowance of clothing and provifions.
This favourable reception encouraged five thcufand warriors to
embark with their families- in feventeen vefTels, and the infant power
of Hengift was fortified by this (Irong and feafonable reinforcement.
The crafty Barbarian fuggefted to Vortigern the obvious, advantage
of fixing, in the neighbourhood of the Picts, a colony of faithful
allies : a third fleet of forty mips, under the command of his fon
and nephew,, failed from Germany, ravaged the Orkneys, and dif-
embarked a new army on the coaft of Northumberland, or Lothian,
at the oppofite extremity of the devoted land. It was eafy to fore-
fee, but it was impoffible to prevent,- the impending evils. The
two nations were foon divided and exafperated by mutual jealoufies*
The Saxons magnified all that they had done and fuffered in the
caufe of an ungrateful paople ; while the Britons regretted the li-
beral rewards which- could not fatisfy the avarice of thofe haughty
mercenaries. The caufes of fear and hatred were inflamed into an
irreconcileable quarrel. The Saxons flew to arms ; and, if they per-
petrated a treacherous mafiacre during the fecurity of a feaft, they
deftroyed the reciprocal confidence which fuftains the intercourfe of
peace and war I29.

Hengift, who boldly afpired to the conqueft of Britain, exhorted
his countrymen to embrace the glorious opportunity: he painted in
lively colours the fertility of the foil, the wealth of the cities, the

119 Nennius imputes to the Saxons the henge is their monument, which the giants
murder of three hundred Britilh chiefs ; a' had formerly tranfported from Africa to Ire-
crime not unfuitable to their favage manners, land, and which was removed to Britain by
But we are not obliged to believe (fee Jeffrey the order of Ambrofius, and the art of Mer-
cf Monmouth, l.viii. c. 9 — 12 ), that Stone- lin.

5 pufillanimous

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

613

pufillanimous temper of the natives, and the convenient fituation of SJLA,?*

AAA. vill«

a* fpacious folitary ifland, acceflible on all fides to the Saxon fleets. v--»— ■»
The fucceflive colonies which ifiued, in the period of a century, from
the mouths of the Elbe, the Wefer, and the Rhine, were principally
compofed of three valiant tribes or nations of Germany ; the yutesy
the old, Saxons, and the Angles. The Jutes, who fought under the
peculiar banner of Hengift, affumed the merit of leading their coun-
trymen in the paths of glory, and of erecting, in Kent, the firft inde-
pendent kingdom. The fame of the enterprife was attributed to
the primitive Saxons ; and the common laws and language of the
conquerors are defcribed by the national appellation of a people,
which, at the end of four hundred years, produced the firft monarchs
of South Britain. The Angles were diftinguifhed by their numbers
and their fuccefs ; and they claimed the honour of fixing a perpetual
name on the country, of which they occupied the mod ample portion.
The Barbarians, who followed the hopes of rapine either on the land
or fea, were infenfibly blended with this triple confederacy ; the
Frifiam, who had' been tempted by their vicinity to the Britifli
mores, might balance, during a fhort fpace, the ftrength and reputa-
tion of the native Saxons ; the Danes, the Prujfians, the Rngians
are faintly defcribed ; and fome adventurous Nuns, who had wan-
dered as far as the Baltic, might embark on board the German vef-
fels, for the conqueft of a new world ,3°. But this arduous atchieve-
ment was not- prepared or executed by the union of national
powers. Each intrepid chieftain, according to the meafure of his
fame and fortunes, affembled his followers ; equipped a fleet of
three, or perhaps of fixty, vefTels ; chofe the place of the attack ;

130

All thefe tribes are exprefsly enumerated — 543-)' I do not perceive the abfurdity of
by Bede (1. i. c. 15. p. 52. 1. v. c.9. p. igo.), fuppofmg that the Frifiar.s, &c. were mingled
and though I have confidered Mr. Whitaker's with the Anglo-Saxons,
remarks (Hill, of Manchefter, vol. ii. p. 538 -

and

6i4

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. antj conducted his fubfequent operations according; to the events of

XXXVIII. i 1 , °

u — N > the war and the dictates of his private intercft In the invafion of

Britain many heroes vanquished and fell ; but only feven victorious
leaders affumed, or at leaft maintained, the title of kings. Seven
independent thrones, the Saxon Heptarchy, were founded by the
conquerors, and feven families, one of which has been continued, by
female fucceffion, to our prefent Sovereign, derived their equal and
facred lineage from Woden, the god of war. It has been pretended,
that this republic of kings was moderated by a general council and
a Supreme magiftrate. But fuch an artificial fcheme of policy is
repugnant to the rude and turbulent fpirit of the Saxons: their laws
are Silent ; and their imperfect annals afford only a dark and bloody
profpect of inteftine difcord ,3'.
Britons! ^ A monk> who, in the profound ignorance of human life, has pre-
fumed to exercife the office of historian, Strangely disfigures the ftate
of Britain at the time of its feparation from the Weftern empire.
Gildas 131 defcribes in florid language the improvements of agricul-
ture, the foreign trade which flowed with every tide into the Thames
and the Severn, the folid and lofty conftruction of public and private
edifices : he accufes the finful luxury of the British people ; of a
people, according to the fame writer, ignorant of the moSt Simple
arts, and incapable, without the aid of the Romans, of providing
walls of Stone, or weapons of iron, for the defence of their native
jand ,3\ Under the long dominion of the emperors, Britain had

131 Bede has enumerated feven kings, two ,J1 See Gildas de Excidio Britannia?, c. i.

Saxons, a Jute, and four Angles, who fuc- p. i. edit. Gale.

ceflively acquired in the heptarchy an inde- .33 Mr. whitaker (Hiftory of Manchefter,

finite [upremacy of power and renown. But yoL g p ha$ fmart,y expofed ^

their reijm was the eiFecl, not of law, but of , . , r ... , . . ~ , . ,

„° , , ,-.„.. glaring abiurdity, which had palled unnoticed

conquelr ; and he oblerves, m limilar terms, .

that one of them fabdued the Ifles of Man b>' the Seneral hjftorians> as ^ey were

and Anglefey ; and that another impoled a Aliening to more intereihng and important

tribute on the Scots and Pitts (Hilt. Ecclef. events.
J.ii. c. 5. p. 83.).

been

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

615

Seen infenfibly moulded into the elegant and fervile form of a chap.

, 1 b ■ XXXVIJI.
Roman province, whofe fafety was entrufted to a foreign power. — „ ^

The fubjects of Honorius contemplated their new freedom with fur-
prife and terror ; they were left deftitute of any civil or military
conftitution ; and their uncertain rulers wanted either (kill, or courage,
or authority, to direct the public force againft the common enemy.
The introduction of the Saxons betrayed their internal wcaknefs, and
degraded the character both of the prince and people. Their con-
fternation magnified the danger ; the want of union diminifhed their
refources ; and the madnefs of civil factions was more folicitous to
accufe, than to remedy, the evils, which they imputed to the mifcon-
duct of their adverfaries. Yet the Britons were not ignorant, they
could not be ignorant, of the manufacture or the ufe of arms :
the fucceflive and diforderly attacks of the Saxons, allowed them to
recover from their amazement, and the profperous or adverfe events
of the war added difcipline and experience to their native va-
lour.

While the continent of Europe and Africa yielded, without re- Their refiil-
fiftance, to the Barbarians, the Britifh ifland, alone and unaided, ancc'
maintained a long, a vigorous, though an unfuccefsful ftruggle,
againft the formidable pirates, who, almoft at the fame inftant,
aflaulted the Northern, the Eaftern, and the Southern coafts. The
cities which had been fortified with (kill, were defended with refo-
lution ; the advantages of ground, hills, forefts, and moraffes, were
diligently improved by the inhabitants ; the conqueft of each
diftrict was purchafod with blood ; and the defeats of the Saxons
are ftrongly attefted by the difcreet fileilce of their annalift. Hengift
might hope to atchieve the conqueft of Britain; but his ambition,
in an active reign of thirty-five years, was confined to the pofleftion
of Kent ; and the numerous colony which he had planted in the
North, wras extirpated by the fword of the Britons. The monarchy

6i6

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C ^-iattt' °^ Weft-Saxons was laboriously founded by the perfevering

- ****** KM

— v ' efforts of three martial generations. The life of Cerdic, one of

the braveft of the children of W oden, was confumed in the conqueft
of Hampfliire, and the Ifle of Wight; and the lofs which he fuftained
in the battle of Mount Badon, reduced him to a ftate of inglorious
repofe. Kenric, his valiant fon, advanced intoWiltfhire ; befieged Salis-
bury, at that time feated on a commanding eminence ; and vanquifhed
an army which advanced to the relief of the city. In the fubfequent
battle of Marlborough ,3+, his Britifh enemies difplayed their mili-
tary fcience. Their troops were formed in three lines ; each line
confifted of three diftinct bodies, and the cavalry, the archers, and
the pikemen, were diftributed according to the principles of Roman
tactics. The Saxons charged in one weighty column, boldly en-
countered with their Ihort fwords the long lances of the Britons, and
maintained an equal conflict till the approach of night. Two decifive
victories, the death of three Britifh kings, and the reduction of Ci-
rencefter, Bath, and Gloucefter, eftablifhed the fame and power of
Ceaulin, the grandfon of Cerdic, who carried his victorious arms
to the banks of the Severn,
and flight. After a war of an hundred years, the independent Britons ftill
occupied the whole extent of the Weflern coaft, from the wall of
Antoninus to the extreme promontory of Cornwall ; and the prin-
cipal cities of the inland country ftill oppofed the arms of the Barba-
rians. Refiftance became more languid, as the number and boldnefs
of the affailants continually increafed. Winning their way by flow
and painful efforts, the Saxons, the Angles, and their various con-
federates, advanced from the North, from the Eaft, and from the

134 At Beran-birig, or Barbury-caftle, near dam, p. 314.) relates the circumftances of
Marlborough. The Saxon chronicle affigns this battle. They are probable and cha-
the name and date. Cambden (Britannia, raderiiUc ; and the hiltorians of the twelfth
vol. i. p. 128.) afcertains the place; and century might confult fome materials that
.Henry of Huntingdon (Scriptores poft Be- no longer exift.

South,

OE THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

617

South, till their victorious banners were united in the centre of the ^xxvill"
ifland. Beyond the Severn the Britons flili afferted their national *— — v — J
freedom, which furvived the heptarchy, and even the monarchy, of
the Saxons. The braveft warriors, who preferred exile to flavery,
found a fecure refuge in the mountains of Wales : the reluctant
fubmiflion of Cornwall was delayed for fome ages 135 ; and a band of
fugitives acquired a fettlement in Gaul, by their own valour, or the
liberality of the Merovingian kings ,36. The Weftern angle of Ar-
morica acquired the new appellations of Cornwall, and the LcJJer
Britain ; and the vacant lands of the Ofifmii were filled by a ftrange
people, who, under the authority of their counts and bifhops, pre-
fervcd the laws and language of their anceftors. To the feeble
defcendants of Clovis and Charlemagne, the Britons of Armorica
refufed the cuftomary tribute, fubdued the neighbouring diocefes of
Vannes, Rennes, and Nantes, and formed a powerful, though vafTal,
ftate, which has been united to the crown of France 111 .

135 Cornwall was finally fubdued by Athel-
ftan (A. D. 927-941.), who planted an
EngliOi colony at Exeter, and confined the
Britons beyond the river Tamar. See Wil-
liam of Malm/bury, 1. ii. in the Scriptores
poft Bedam, p. 50. The fpirit of the Cornifh
knights was degraded by fervitude ; and it
fhould Teem, from the romance of Sir Trif-
£ram, that their cowardice was almoft pro-
verbial.

136 The eftablifhment of the Britons in
Gaul is proved in the fixth century, by Pro-
copius, Gregory of Tours, the fecond council
of Tours (A. D. 567.), and the leaft fufpi-
cious of their chronicles and lives of faints.
The fubfcription of a bifhop of the Britons
to the firlt council of Tours (A. D. 461. or
rather 481.), the army of Riothamus, and the
loofe declamation of Gilda? (alii tranfmarinas
petebantregiones, c. 25. p. 8.), may counter
jiarce an emigration ?>s early as the middle

Vol. III.

of the fifth century. Beyond that a?ra, the
Britons of Armorica can be found only in
romance ; and I am furprifed that Mr. Whit-
aker (Genuine Hiftory of the Britons, p.
214 — 221.) fhould fo faithfully tranfcribe the
grofs ignorance of Carte, whofe venial er-
rors he has fo rigoroufly chaftifed.

137 The antiquities of Bretagnc, which
have been the fubjeft even of political con-
troversy-, are illuftrated by Hadrian Valefius
(Notitia Galliarum, fub voce Britannia Gif-
marina, p. 9S — 100.), M. d'Anville (Notice
de l'Ancienne Gaule, Cori/opiti, Curiofoiitet,
Ofifmii, Vorga?iium, p. 248. 258. 508. 720.
and Etatsde l'Europe, p. 76 — 80.), Longue-
rue (Defcription de la France, torn. i. p.
84—94.), and the Abbe de Vertot (Hiit.
Critique de rEtablifTement des Bretons dans
les Gaules, 2 vol. in 12010. Paris, 1720.).
I may afTume the merit of examining the ori-
ginal evidence which they have produced.

4 K In

6i8

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. In a century of perpetual, or at leaft implacable, war, much cou-

i „ * rage, and fome fkill, muft have been exerted for the defence of

Arthur.™ 6 ° Britain. Yet if the memory of its champions is almoft buried in
oblivion, we need not repine ; fince every age, however deftitute of
fcience or virtue, fufficiently abounds with acts of blood and military
renown. The tomb of Vortimer, the fon of Vortigern, was erected
on the margin of the fea-fhore, as a landmark formidable to the
Saxons, whom he had thrice vanquifhed in the fields of Kent.
Ambrofms Aurelian was defcended from a noble family of Ro-
mans 138 ; his modefty was equal to his valour, and his valour, till
the laft fatal action ,39, was crowned with fplendid fuccefs. But every
Britifh name is effaced by the illuftrious name of Arthur ,4°, the
hereditary prince of the Silures, in South Wales, and the elective
king or general of the nation. According to the moft rational ac-
count, he defeated, in twelve fucceffive battles, the Angles of the
North, and the Saxons of the Weft ; but the declining age of the
hero was embittered by popular ingratitude, and domeftic misfor-
tunes. The events of his life are lefs interefting, than the fingular
revolutions of his fame. During a period of five hundred years
the tradition of his exploits was preferved, and rudely embellifhed, by
the obfeure bards of Wales and Armorica, who were odious to the
Saxons, and unknown to the reft of mankind. The pride and cu-

138 Bede, who in his chronicle (p. 28.) 508.) loft his own life, and five thoufand of

places A mbrofius under the reign of Zeno (A. his fubjefts, in a battle againft Cerdic, the

D. 474— 491 •)> obferves, that his parents had Weft Saxon (Chron. Saxon, p. 17, 18.).
been " purpura induti ;" which he explains, 140 As I am a ftranger to the Welfti bards

in his ecclefiaftical hiftory, by " regium no- Myrdhin, Llomarch, and Talieffin, my faith

" men et infigne ferentibus" (1. i. c. 16. p. in the exiftenceand exploits of Arthur, prin-

53.). The expreflion of Nennius (c. 44. p. cipally refts on the fimple and circumftantial

no. edit. Gale) is ftill more fingular, " Unus teftimony of Nennius (Hift. Brit. c. 62, 63.

" de confuiibus gentis Romanics: eft pater p. 114.). Mr. Whitaker (Hift. of Man-

meus." chefter, vol. ii. p. 31—71.) has framed an

159 By the unanimous, though doubtful, interefting, and even probable, narrative of

conjecture of cur antiquarians, Ambrouus is the wars of Arthur: though it is impoffible

confounded with Natanleod, who (A. D. to allow the reality of the round table.

riofity

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

riofity of the Norman conquerors, prompted them to enquire into the
ancient hiftory of Britain : they liftened with fond credulity to the
tale of Arthur, and eagerly applauded the merit of a prince, who
had triumphed over the Saxons, their common enemies. His ro-
mance, tranfcribed in the Latin of Jeffrey of Monmouth, and
afterwards tranflated into the fafhionable idiom of the times, was
enriched with the various, though incoherent, ornaments, which
were familiar to the experience, the learning, or the fancy, of the
.twelfth century. The progrefs of a Phrygian colony, from the
Tyber to the Thames, was eaiily engrafted on the fable of the iEneid ;
and the royal anceftors of Arthur derived their origin from Troy,
and claimed their alliance with the Casfars. His trophies were de-
corated with captive provinces, and Imperial titles; and his Daniih
victories avenged the recent injuries of his country. The gallantry
and fuperftition of the Britifh hero, his feafts and tournaments, and
the memorable inftitution of his Knights of the Round Tabic, were
faithfully copied from the reigning manners of chivalry; and the
fabulous exploits of Uther's fon, appear lefs incredible, than the adven-
tures which were atchieved by the enterpriiing valour of the Nor-
mans. Pilgrimage, and the holy wars, introduced into Europe the
fpecious miracles of Arabian magic. Fairies, and giants, flying dra-
gons, and enchanted palaces, were blended with the more fimple
fidions of the Weft ; and the fate of Britain depended on the art,
<or the predictions, of Merlin. Every nation embraced and adorned
the popular romance of Arthur, and the Knights of the Round
Table : their names were celebrated in Greece and Italy ; and the
voluminous tales of Sir Lancelot and Sir Triftram were devoutly
fiudied by the princes and nobles, who difregarded the genuine heroes
and hiftorians' of antiquity. At length the light of fcience and rea-
fon was rekindled ; the talifman was broken ; the vifionary fabric
melted into air; and by a natural, though unjuft, reverie of the

4 K 2 public

6io

THE DECLINE AND FALL

cr f- public opinion, the feverity of the prefent age is inclined to qucftion

X.XX\ III.

-» the exijlence of Arthur

Defolation of Refiftance, if it cannot avert, muft increafe the miferies of con-
<\ queft ; and conqueft has never appeared more dreadful and deftruc-
tive than in the hands of the Saxons ; who hated the valour of their
enemies, difdained the faith of treaties, and violated, without re-
morfe, the moft facred objects of the Chriftian worfhip. The fields
of battle might be traced, almoft in every dirtrict, by monuments of
bones ; the fragments of falling towers were ftained with blood ; the
la ft of the Britons, without diftinction of age or fex, was maflacred
in the ruins of Anderida 141 ; and the repetition of fuch calamities
was frequent and familiar under the Saxon heptarchy. The arts
and religion, the laws and language, which the Romans had 10
carefully planted in Britain, were extirpated by their barbarous
iucceflbrs. After the deftruction of the principal churches, the bifhops,
who had declined the crown of martyrdom, retired with the holy
relics into Wales and Armorica ; the remains of their flocks were left
deftitute of any fpiritual food ; the practice, and even the remem-
brance, of Chriftianity were abolifhed ; and the Britifh clergy might
obtain fome comfort from the damnation of the idolatrous ftrangers.
The kings of France maintained the privileges of their Roman fubjects ;
but the ferocious Saxons trampled on the laws of Rome, and of the em-
perors. The proceedings of civil and criminal jurifdiclion, the titles of
honour, the forms of office, the ranks of fociety, and even the domeftic

1+0 The progrefs of romance, andtheftate ibi fuperftes fuerit (Chron. Saxon, p. 15.) ;

of learning, in the middle ages, are illuftrated an expreflion more dreadful in its fimplicity,

by Mr. Thomas Warton, with the tafte of a than all the vague and tedious lamentations

poet, and the minute diligence of an anti- of the Britifh Jeremiah.

quarian. I have derived much inftrucBon M2 Andredes-Ceafter, or Anderida, is

from the two learned diflertations prefixed to placed by Cambden (Britannia, vol. i. p.

the firft volume of his Hiltory of Englifli 258.) at Newenden, in the marlhy grounds

Poetry. of Kent, which might be formerly covered

141 Hoc anno (490) ^Ella et CifTa obfede- by the fea, and on the edge of the great fo-

runt Andredes-Ceafter; et interfecerunt om- reft (Anderida), which overfpread fo large- a

ses qui' id incoluerunt ; adeo ut nc unus Brito portion of Hamplhire and Suflex.

j rights-

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

621

rights of marriage, teftament, and inheritance, were finally fupprefled ;

aaaV III*

and the indifcriminate crowd of noble and plebeian (laves was go- v. — t

verned by the traditionary cuftoms, which had been coarfely framed
fcr the fhepherds, and pirates, of Germany. The language of
fcience, of bufinels, and of converfation, which had been introduced
by the Romans, was loft in the general defolation. A fufficient
number of Latin or Celtic words might be affumed by the Germans,
to exprefs their new wants and ideas143 ; but thofc illiterate Pagans pre-
ferred and eftablifhed the ufe of their national dialect I44. Almoft every
name, confpicuous either in the church or ftate, reveals its Teutonic
origin I4S ; and the geography of England was univerfally infcribed
with foreign characters and appellations. The example of a revolu-
tion, fo rapid and fo complete, may not eafily be found ; but it will
excite a probable fufpicion, that the arts of Rome were.Jefs deeply
rooted in Britain than in Gaul or Spain ; and that the native rude-
nefs of the eountry and its inhabitants, was covered by a thin varnifh
of Italian manners.

This ftrange alteration has perfuaded hiftorians, and even philofo- Servitude,
phers, that the provincials of Britain were totally exterminated ;
and that the vacant land was again peopled by the perpetual influx,
and rapid increafe, of the German colonies. Three hundred thou-
fand Saxons are /aid to have obeyed the fummons of Hengift 146 j the
entire emigration of the Angles was attefted, in the age of Bede, by
the folitude of their native country 147 ; and our experience has fhewn

the

'♦3 Dr. Johnfon affirms, that fe-.v Englifh tually underllood each other's language,
words arc of Britifh extraction. Mr. Whit- which was derived from the fame Teutonic
aker, who underftands the Britifh language, root (Bede, 1. i. c. 25. p. 60.).
has difcovered more than three tbcu/and, and 1+5 After the fiiil generation of Italian, or
actually produces a long and various cata- Scottifh, miffionaries, the dignities of the
logue (vol. ii. p. 235 — 329.). It is poffible, church were filled with Saxon profelytes.
indeed, that many of thefe words may have 1+6 Carte's Hiftory of England, vol. i. p.
been imported from the Latin or Saxon into 191;. He quotes the Britifh hiftorians ; but
the native idiom of Britain. 1 much fear, that Jeffrey of Monmouth (1.

,4+ In the beginning of the feventh cen- vi. c. 15.) is his only witnefs.
tury, the Franks and the Anglo-Saxons mu- M7 Bede, Hift. Ecclefhft. 1. i. c. 15. p. 52.

The

622

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. the free propagation of the human race, if they are caft on a fruitful

XXXVIII.

« -.- _'• wildernefs, where their fte'ps are unconfined, and their fubfiftence is
plentiful. The Saxon kingdoms difplayed the face of recent dis-
covery and cultivation : the towns were fmall, the villages were
diftant ; the hufbandry was languid and unfkilful ; four fheep were
equivalent to an acre of the beft land 1+8 ; an ample fpace of wood
and morafs was refigned to the vague dominion cf nature ; and the
modern bifhopric of Durham, the whole territory from the Tyne to
the Tees, had returned to its primitive ftate of a favage and folitary
foreft ,+9. Such imperfect population might have been fupplied, in
fomc generations, by the Englifh colonies ; but neither reafon nor
facts can juftify the unnatural fuppofition, that the Saxons of Britain
remained alone in the defert which they had fubdued. After the
fanguinary Barbarians had fecured their dominion, and gratified
their revenge, it was their intereft to preferve the peafants, as well
as the cattle, of the unrefifting country. In each fucceflive revolu-
tion, the patient herd becomes the property of its new mailers; and
the falutary compact of food and labour is filently ratified by their
mutual necefnties. Wilfrid, the apoftle of SulTex accepted from
his royal convert the gift of the peninfula of Selfey, near Chichefter,
with the perfons and property of its inhabitants, who then amounted
to eighty-feven families. He releafed them at once from fpiritual
and temporal bondage; and two hundred and fifty Haves of both
fexes were baptized by their indulgent mafter. The kingdom of
SuMex, which Spread from the fea to the Thames, contained feven

The fa& is probable, and well attefled : yet nullius ditioni fervivit, eo quod Tola indomi-

fuch was the loofe intermixture of the German torum et fylveftrium animalium fpelunca et

tribes, that we find, in a fubfequent period, habitatio fuit (apud Carte, vol. i. p. 19;.).

the law of the Angli and Warini of Germany From bifhop Nicholfon (Englifh Hillorical

{] indenbrcg. Codex, p. 479—486.)- Library, p. 65. 98.), I underftand, that fair

,+!' See Dr. Henry's uleful and laborious copies of John of Tinemouth's ample Col-

Hiltory of Great Britain, vol. ii. p. 3S8. lections are preferved in the libraries of Ox-

*4S Quicquid (fays John of Tinemouth) ford, Lambeth, &c.

inter Tynam et Tefam fluvios extitit fola 's° See the mifiion of Wilfrid, &c. in Bede,

ticmi ya{litudo tunc temporis fuit, et idcirco Hift. Ecclef. l.iv. c. 13. 16. p. 155, 156. 159.

thoufand

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, 623

thoufand families: twelve hundred were afcribed to the Ifle of Wight; xxxvni'

and, if we multiply this vague computation, it may feem probable, v /

that England was cultivated by a million of fervants, or villains,
who were attached to the eftates of their arbitrary landlords. The
indigent Barbarians were often tempted to fell their children or them-
felves into perpetual, and even foreign, bondage151; yet the fpecial ex-
emptions, which were granted to national Oaves' S1, fufficiently declare,
that they were much lefs numerous than the ftrangers and captives,
who had loft their liberty, or changed their mafters, by the acci-
dents of war. When time and religion had mitigated the fierce
fpirit of the Anglo-Saxons, the laws encouraged the frequent prac-
tice of manumiijion ; and their fubjects, of Welfh or Cambrian ex-
traction, aiTume the refpectable ftation of inferior freemen, poffefTed
of lands, and intitled to the rights of civil fociety '5\ Such gentle
treatment might fecure the allegiance of a fierce people, who had
been recently fubdued on the confines of Wales and Cornwall. The
fage Ina, the legiflator of Wefiex, united the two nations in the
bands of domeftic alliance ; and four Britifh lords of Somerfetihire
may be honourably diftinguifhed in the court of a Saxon mo-
narch ,54.

The independent Britons appear to have relapfed into the ftate of Manners of
original barbarifro, from whence they had been imperfectly re-
claimed. Separated by their enemies from the reft of mankind, they

I5' From the concurrent teftimony of Bede xxxii. in Leg. Anglo-Saxon, p. 20.), which
(I. ii. c. 1. p. 78.), and Wiiliam of Malmf- allowed 200 Ihillings for a free Saxon, and
bury (1. iii. p. 102.), it appears, that the 1200 for a Thane (fee likewife Leg. Anglo-
Anglo-Saxons, from the nrft, to the laft, age, Saxon, p. 71.). We may obferve, that thefe
perfifted in this unnatural practice. Their legiflators, the Weft-Saxons and Mercians,
youths were publicly fold in the market of continued their Britifh conquefts after they
Rome. became Chriftians. The laws of the four

151 According to the laws of Ina, they kings of Kent do not condcfcend to notice

could not be lawfully fold beyond the feas. the exiftence of any fubject Britons.

,s3 The life of a Wallas, or Cambric-.is, 154 See Carte's Hift. of England, vol. i.

homo, who poilefled a hyde of land, is fixed p. 278.

at 120 fliillings, by the fame laws (of Ir,a, yt.

foon

624

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP. {'oon became an object of fcandal and abhorrence to the Catholic
v — ~-v--^ world ,s0. Chriftianity was ftill profefted in the mountains of Wales;

but the rude fchifmatics, in the fa.nn of the clerical tonfure, and in
the day of the celebration of Eafter, obftinately refilled the imperious
mandates of the Roman pontiffs. The ufe of the Latin language
was infenfibly abolifhed, and the Britons were deprived of the arts
and learning which Italy communicated to her Saxon profelytes.
In Wales and Armorica, the Celtic tongue, the native idiom of the
Weft, was preferved and propagated ; and the Bards, who had been
the companions of the Druids, were ftill protected, in the lixteenth
century, by the laws of Elizabeth. Their chief, a refpectable officer
of the courts of Pengwern, or Aberfraw, or Caermathaen, accom-
panied the king's fervants to war : the monarchy of the Britons,
which he fung in the front of battle, excited their courage, and jufti-
fied their depredations ; and the fongfter claimed for his legitimate
prize the faireft heifer of the fpoil. His fubordinate minifters, the
mailers and difciples of vocal and inflrumental mufic, vifited, in
their refpective circuits, the royal, the noble, and the plebeian
houfcs ; and the public poverty, almoft exhaufted by the clergy,
was opprefTed by the importunate demands of the bards. Their
rank and merit were afcertained by folemn trials, and the flrong be-
lief of fupernatural infpiration exalted the fancy of the poet, and of
his audience The iaft retreats of Celtic freedom, the extreme
territories of Gaul and Britain, were lefs adapted to agriculture than
to pafturage : the wealth of the Britons confided in their flocks and
herds; milk and flefh were their ordinary food; and bread was

156 At the conclufion of his hiftory (A. D. interefting account of the Welfti bards. In

731.), Bede defcribes the ecclefiaftical ftate the year 1568, a fefiion was held at Caenvvs

of the ifland, and cenfures the implacable, by the fpecial command of queen Elizabeth,

though impotent, hatred of the Britons and regular degrees in vocal and inftrumenta'l

againft the Englifti nation, and the Catholic mufic were conferred on fifty-five minftrels.

•church (!. v. c. 23. p. 219.). The prize (a filver harp) was adjudged by

Mr. Pennant's Tour in Wales (p. 426 the Mortyn family.
— 449.) has furnilhed me with a curious and

fometimes

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

fometimes efteemed, or rejected, as a foreign luxury. Liberty had xxxvtil

peopled the mountains of Wales and the moraffes of Armorica : but < r-— ~>

their populoufnefs has been malicioufly afcribed to the loofe practice of
polygamy ; and the houfes of thefe licentious barbarians have been
fuppofed to contain ten wives, and perhaps fifty children ,s3. Their
difpofition was rafh and choleric : they were bold in action and in
fpeech ,S9 ; and as they were ignorant of the arts of peace, they al-
ternately indulged their paffions in foreign and domeftic war. The
cavalry of Armorica, the fpearmen of Gwent, and the archers of
Merioneth, were equally formidable ; but their poverty could feldom
procure either fhields or helmets ; and the inconvenient weight would
have retarded the fpeed and agility of their defultory operations.
One of the greateft of the Englilh monarchs was requefted to fatisfy
the curiofity of a Greek emperor concerning the ftate of Britain ;
and Henry II. could afTert, from his perfonal experience, that Wales
was inhabited by a race of naked warriors, who encountered,
without fear, the defenfive armour of their enemies ,6°.

By the revolution of Britain, the limits of fcience, as well as of Obfcure or
empire, were contracted. The dark cloud, which had been cleared of^Jhain.3^
by the Phoenician difcoveries, and finally difpelled by the arms of
Crefar, again fettled on the mores of the Atlantic, and a Roman
province was again loft among the fabulous iilands of the Ocean.
One hundred and fifty years after the reign of Honorius, the graveft

,sS Regio longe lateque diifufa, milite, the French, and the Britons. The malicious

magis quam credibile fit, referta. Partibus WeMhman infinuates, that the Engliih taci-

equidem in i I lis miles unus quinquaginta ge- turnity might pofiibly be the effecT: of their

nerat, fortitus more barbaro denas aut am- fervitude under the Normans,
plius uxores. This reproach of William of 160 The picture of Welfh and Armorican

Poitiers (in the Hiftorians of France, tom.xi. manners is drawn from Giraldus (Defcript.

p. 88.) is difclaimed by the Benedictine Cambria;, c. 6 — 15. inter Script. Cambden.

editors, p. 886—891.), and the authors quoted by

1551 Giraldus Cambrenfis confines this gift the Abbe de Vertot (Hift. Critique, torn. ii.

of bold and ready eloquence to the Romans, p. 259—266.).

Vol. III. 4 L hiftorian

THE DECLINE AND FALL

C H A P. hiftorian of the times 161 dcfcribes the wonders of a remote ifle, whofe

xxxviii.

» 1 ' eaftern and weftern parts are divided by an antique wall, the boun-
dary of life and death, or, more properly, of truth and fiction. The
eait is a lair country, inhabited by a civilifed people : the air is
healthy, the waters are pure and plentiful, and the earth yields her
regular and fruitful increafe. In the weft, beyond the wall, the air
is infectious and mortal ; the ground is covered with ferpents ; and
this dreary folitude is the region of departed fpirits, who are tranf-
ported from the oppofite fhores in fubftantial boats, and by living;
rowers. Some families of fifhermen, the fubje&s of the Franks, are
excuied from tribute, in confideration of the myfterious office which
is performed by thefe Charons of the ocean. Each in his turn is
fummoncd, at the hour of midnight, to hear the voices, and even
the names, of the ghofts : he is fenfible of their weight, and he feels
himfelf impelled by an unknown, but irrefrftible, power. After this
dream of fancy, we read with aftonifhment, that the name of this
ifland is Brittia ; that it lies in the ocean, againlt the mouth of the
Rhine, and lefs than thirty miles from the continent ; that it is pof-
ieiled by three nations, the Frilians, the Angles, and the Britons ;
and that fome Angles had appeared at Conftantinople, in the train of
the French ambafTadors. From thefe ambafTadors Procopius might be
informed of a lingular, though not improbable, adventure, which
■announces the fpirit, rather than the delicacy, of an Englifh heroine.
She had been betrothed to Radiger king of the Varni, a tribe of Ger-
mans who touched the ocean and the Rhine ; but the perfidious lover
was tempted, by motives of policy, to prefer his father's widow, the
filler of Theodebert king of the Franks ,<s\ The forfaken princefs of

the

161 See Procopius de Bell. Gothic. 1. iv. which he has identified by fo many infepa-
c. 20. p- 620—625. The Greek hiftorian rable circumftances.

is himfelf fo confounded by the wonders 141 Theodebert, grandfon of Clovis, and
which he relates, that he weakly attempts to king of Auftrafia, was the molt powerful and
•Jiltinguifh the iflands of Brittia and Britain, warlike prince of the age ; and this remark-
able

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

627

the Angles, inftead of bewailing, revenged her difgrace. Her war- xxxvw'

like fubjects are fa 'id to have been ignorant of the ufe, and even of *— — v •»

the form, of an horfe ; but me boldly failed from Britain to the
mouth of the Rhine, with a fleet of four hundred mips, and an army
of one hundred thoufand men. After the lofs of a battle, the captive
Radiger implored the mercy of his victorious bride, who generoufly
pardoned his offence, difmhTed her rival, and compelled the king of the
Warni to difcharge with honour and fidelity the duties of an huf-
band ,6\ This gallant exploit appears to be the laft naval enterprife of the
Anglo-Saxons. The arts of navigation, by which they had acquired
the empire of Britain and of the fea, were foon neglected by the
indolent Barbarians, who fupinely renounced all the commercial ad-
vantages of their infular fituation. Seven independent kingdoms
were agitated by perpetual difcord ; and the BritiJJj world was fel-
dom connected, either in peace or war, with the nations of the con-
tinent 16\

I have now accomplifhed the laborious narrative of the decline Fall of the
and fall of the Roman empire, from the fortunate age of Trajan and pireTnthe
the Antonines, to its total extinction in the Weft, about five cen- Weft*
turies after the Chriftian sera. At that unhappy period, the Saxons
fiercely ftruggled with the natives for the poffeflion of Britain : Gaul

able adventure may be placed between the of her name and exiftence : but Procopnis
years 534 and 547, the extreme terms of his may have fuggefted to Mr. Rowe the cha-
. reign. His fitter Theudechildis retired to rafter and fituation of Rodugune in the tra-
Sens, where me founded monafteries, and gedy of the Royal Convert,
diftributed alms (fee the notes of the Bene- ,6+ In the copious hiftory of Gregory of
di£Une editors, in torn. ii. p. 216.). If we Tours, we cannot find any traces of liollile
may credit the praifes of Fortunatus (1. vi. or friendly intercourfe between France and
carm. 5. in torn. ii. p. 507.), Radiger was England, except in the marriage of the
deprived of a moil valuable wife. daughter of Caribert king of Paris, quam
163 Perhaps (he was the filler of one of the regis cuju/dam in Cantia Alius matrimonio
princes or chiefs of the Angles, who landed copulavit (1. ix. c. 26. in torn. ii. p. 348. )-
in 527, and the following years, between The bifhop of Tours ended his hiltory and
the H umber and the Thames, and gradually his life almoft immediately before the con-
founded the kingdoms of Eaft-Anglia and verfion of Kent.
Mercia. The Engltfh writers are ignorant

4 L 2 and

628

THE DECLINE AND FALL

cjhAr?' and Spain were divided between the powerful monarchies of the

AAA V 111.

Franks and Vifigoths, and the dependent kingdoms of the Suevi and
Burgundians : Africa was expofed to the cruel perfecution of the
Vandals, and the favage infults of the Moors : Rome and Italy, as
far as the banks of the Danube, were afflicted by an army of Bar-
barian mercenaries, whofe lawlefs tyranny was fucceeded by the
reign of Theodoric the Oftrogoth. All the fubjects of the empire,
who, by the ufe of the Latin language, more particularly deferved
the name and privileges of Romans, were opprefTed by the difgrace
and calamities of foreign conqueft; and the victorious nations of
Germany eftablifhed a new fyftem of manners and government in
the weftern countries of Europe. The majefty of Rome was faintly
reprefented by the princes of Conftantinople, the feeble and ima-
ginary fuccefTors of Auguftus. Yet they continued to reign over
the Eaft, from the Danube to the Nile and Tigris ; the Gothic and
Vandal kingdoms of Italy and Africa were fubverted by the arms of
Juftinian ; and the hiftory of the Greek emperors may ftill afford
a long feries of inftructive lelfons, and interefting revolutions.

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

General Obfervaticm on the Fall of the Roman Empire

in the Weft,

TH E Greeks, after their country had been reduced into a pro-
vince, imputed the triumphs of Rome, not to the merit, but
to the fortune, of the republic. The inconftant goddefs, who
fo blindly diftributes and refumes her favours, had now confented
(mch was the language of envious flattery) to refign her wrings, to
defcend from her globe, and to fix her firm and immutable throne
on the banks of the Tyber \ A wifer Greek, who has compofed,
writh a philofophic fpirit, the memorable hiftory of his own times,
deprived his countrymen of this vain and delufive comfort, by
opening to their view the deep foundations of the greatnefs of
Rome \ The fidelity of the citizens to each other, and to the ftate,
wras confirmed by the habits of education, and the prejudices of
religion. Honour, as well as virtue, was the principle of the re-
public ; the ambitious citizens laboured to deferve the folemn glories
of a triumph ; and the ardour of the Roman youth was kindled
into active emulation, as often as they beheld the domeftic images

* Such are the figurative expreftions of Plutarch ; and to confute them is the profefleel

Plutarch (Opera, torn. ii. p. 318. edit, intention of Polybius (Hilt. 1. i. p. go. edit.

Wechel), to whom, on the faith of his fon Gronov. Amftel. 1670.).
Lamprias (Fabricius, Bibliot. Graze, torn. iii. 2 See the ineflimable remains of the fivth

p. 341.), I fhall boldly impute the malicious book of Polybius, and many other parts of

declamation, 7r££» tu? Papxtuv thjc«. The his general hiftory, particularly a digrellion in

fame opinions had prevailed among the the feventeenth book, in which he compares

Greeks two hundred and fifty years before the phalanx and the legion.

THE DECLINE AND FALL

of their anceftors \ The temperate ftruggles of the patricians and
plebeians had finally eftablifhed the firm and equal balance of the
conftitution ; which united the freedom of popular affemblies, with
the authority and wifdom of a fenate, and the executive powers of
a regal magiftrate. When the conful difplayed the ftandard of the
republic, each citizen bound himfelf, by the obligation of an oath,
to draw his fword in the caufe of his country, till he had dilcharged
the facred duty by a military fervice of ten years. This wife infti-
tution continually poured into the field the rifing generations of free-
men and foldiers ; and their numbers were reinforced by the warlike
and populous ftates of Italy, who, after a brave refiftance, had
yielded to the valour, and embraced the alliance, of the Romans.
The fage hiftorian, who excited the virtue of the younger Scipio,
and beheld the ruin of Carthage % has accurately defcribed their
military fyftem ; their levies, arms, exercifes, fubordination, marches,
encampments ; and the invincible legion, fuperior in active ftrength
to the Macedonian phalanx of Philip and Alexander. From thefe
inftitutions of peace and war, Polybius has deduced the fpirit and
fuccefs of a people, incapable of fear, and impatient of repofe. The
ambitious defign of conqueft, which might have been defeated by
the feafonable confpiracy of mankind, was attempted and atchieved ;
and the perpetual violation of juftice was maintained by the political
virtues of prudence and courage. The arms of the republic, fometimes
vanquifhed in battle, always victorious in war, advanced with rapid
fteps to the Euphrates, the Danube, the Rhine, and the Ocean ;

3 Salluft heard the generous profeflions of repeated two lines of the Iliad, which exprefs
P. Scipio and Maximus (de Bell. Jugur- the deftrudtion of Troy, acknowledging to
thin. c. 4. ) ; yet thefe noble brothers were Polybius, his friend and preceptor (Polyb. in
dead many years before the birth of Salluft. Excerpt, de Virtut. et Vit. tom. ii. p. 1455 —
But the Latin hiftorian had read, and moft 1465), that while he recollected the vicifli-
probably tranferibes, Polybius, their con- tudes of human affairs, he inwardly applied
temporary and friend. them tothe future calamities of Rome (Ap-

4 While Carthage was in flames, Scipio pian. in Libycis, p. 156. edit. Toll.).

and

QF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

and the images of gold, or filver, or brafs, that might ferve to re-
prefent the nations and their kings, were fucceflively broken by the
iron monarchy of Rome s.

The rife of a city, which fwelled into an empire, may deferve, as
a fingular prodigy, the reflection of a philofophic mind. But the
decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immode-
rate greatnefs. Profperity ripened the principle of decay ; the caufes-
of deftruction multiplied with the extent of conqueft ; and as foon
as time or accident had removed the artificial fupports, the ftupen-
dous fabric yielded to the preffure of its own weight. The ftory of
its ruin is fimple and obvious ; and inftead of enquiring uuby the
Roman empire was deftroyed, we fhould rather be furprifed that it
had fubfifted fo long. The victorious legions, who, in diftant wars
acquired the vices of ftrangers and mercenaries, firft opprefTed the
freedom, of the republic, and afterwards violated the majefty of the
Purple. The emperors, anxious for their perfonal fafety and the
public peace, were reduced to the bafe expedient of corrupting the
difcipline which rendered them alike formidable to their fovereign
and to the enemy ; the vigour of the military government was re-
laxed, and finally diflblved, by the partial inftitutions of Conftantine ;
and the Roman world was overwhelmed by a deluge of Barba-
rians.

The decay of Rome has been frequently afcribed to the tranflation
of the feat of empire; but this hiftory has already fhewn, that the
powers of government were divided, rather than removed, The
throne of Conftantinople was erected in the Eaft ; while the Weil

5 See Daniel ii. 3 1 — 40. " And the fourth own time. Sicut enim in principio nihil

" kingdom mall be ftrong as iron ; forafmuch Romano Imperio fortius et durius, itainfine

" as iron breaketh in pieces, and fubdueth rerum nihil imbecillius : quum et in bellis

** all things." The remainder of the pro- civilibus et adverfus diverfas nationes, aliarum.

phecy (the mixture of iron and clay J was gentium barbararum auxilioindigemus (Ope-

accomplimed, according to St. Jerom, in his ra, torn. v. p. 572.).

was

THE DECLINE AND FALL

■was ftill poflefled by a feries of emperors who held their refidence in
Italy, and claimed their equal inheritance of the legions and pro-
vinces. This dangerous novelty impaired the ftrength, and fomented
the vices, of a double reign: the inftruments of an oppreflive and
arbitrary fyftem were multiplied ; and a vain emulation of luxury,
not of merit, was introduced and fupported between the degenerate
fucceflbrs of Theodofius. Extreme diftrefs, which unites the virtue
of a free people, embitters the factions of a declining monarchy. The
hoftile favourites of Arcadius and Honorius betrayed the republic to
its common enemies ; and the Byzantine court beheld with indif-
ference, perhaps with pleafure, the difgrace of Rome, the misfor-
tunes of Italy, and the lofs of the Weft. Under the fucceeding
reigns, the alliance of the two empires was reftored ; but the aid of
the Oriental Romans was tardy, doubtful, and ineffectual ; and the
national fchifm of the Greeks and Latins was enlarged by the perpe-
tual difference of language and manners, of intereft, and even of
religion. Yet the falutary event approved in fome meafure the
judgment of Conftantine. During a long period of decay, his im-
pregnable city repelled the victorious armies of Barbarians, protected
the wealth of Afia, and commanded, both in peace and war, the
important ftreights which connect the Euxine and Mediterranean
leas. The foundation of Conftantinople more effentially contributed
to the prefervation of the Eaft, than to the ruin of the Weft.

As the happinefs of a future life is the great object of religion,
we may hear without furprife or fcandal, that the introduction, or
at leaft the abufe, of Chriftianity, had fome influence on the decline
and fall of the Roman empire. The clergy fuccefsfully preached
the doctrines of patience and pufillanimity ; the active virtues of
fociety were difcouraged ; and the laft remains of military fpirit were
buried in the cloyfter : a large portion of public and private wealth
was confecrated to the fpecious demands of charity and devotion ;

7 and

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

and the foldiers pay was laviihed on the ufelefs multitudes of both
fexes, who could only plead the merits of abftinence and chaftity.
Faith, zeal, curiofity, and the more earthly paflions of malice and
ambition, kindled the flame of theological difcord ; the church, and
even the flate, were diftracted by religious factions, whofe conflicts
were fomctimes bloody, and always implacable ; the attention of the
emperors was diverted from camps to fynods ; the Roman world
was oppreffed by a new fpecies of tyranny ; and the perfecuted feds
became the fecret enemies of their country. Yet party-fpirit, how-
ever pernicious or abfurd, is a principle of union as well as of dif-
fention. The bifhops, from eighteen hundred pulpits, inculcated
the duty of paflive obedience to a lawful and orthodox fovereign ;
their frequent affemblies, and perpetual correfpondence, maintained
the communion of diftant churches ; and the benevolent temper of
the gofpel was ftrengthened, though confined, by the fpiritual alli-
ance of the Catholics. The facred indolence of the monks was
devoutly embraced by a fervile and effeminate age; but if fuperfti-
tion had not afforded a decent retreat, the fame vices would have
tempted the unworthy Romans to defert, from bafer motives, the
ftandard of the republic. Religious precepts are eafily obeyed, which
indulge and fanctify the natural inclinations of their votaries; but
the pure and genuine influence of Chriftianity may be traced in its
beneficial, though imperfect, effects on the Barbarian profelytes of
the North. If the decline of the Roman empire was haftened by
the converfion of Conftantine, his victorious religion broke the vio-
lence of the fall, and mollified the ferocious temper of the con-
querors.

This awful revolution may be ufefully applied to the inftruction
of the prefent age. It is the duty of a patriot to prefer and pro-
mote the exclufive intereft and glory of his native country : but a
philofopher may be permitted to enlarge his views, and to confider

Vol. III. 4 M Europe

THE DECLINE AND FALL

Europe as one great republic, whofe various inhabitants have attained
almoft the fame level of politenefs and cultivation. The balance of
power will continue to fluctuate, and the profperity of our own, or
the neighbouring kingdoms, may be alternately exalted or deprefied ;
but thefe partial events cannot efTentially injure our general ftate of
happinefs, the fyftem of arts, and laws, and manners, which fo ad-
vantageoufly diftinguifh, above the reft of mankind, the Europeans
and their colonies. The favage nations of the globe are the common
enemies of civilifed fociety ; and we may enquire with anxious cu-
riofity, whether Europe is ftill threatened with a repetition of thofe
calamities, which formerly opprefled the arms and inftitutions of
Rome. Perhaps the fame reflections will illuftrate the fall of that
mighty empire, and explain the probable caufes of our actual fe-
curity.

I. The Romans were ignorant of the extent of their danger, and
the number of their enemies. Beyond the Rhine and Danube, the
northern countries of Europe and Afia were filled with: innumerable
tribes of hunters and fhepherds, poor, voracious, and turbulent;
bold in arms, and impatient to ravifh the fruits of induftry. The
Barbarian world was agitated by the rapid impulfe of war ; and the
peace of Gaul or Italy was fhaken by the diftant revolutions of
China. The Huns, who fled before a victorious enemy, directed
their march towards the Weft ; and the torrent was fwelled by the
gradual acceflion of captives and allies. The flying tribes who
yielded to the Huns, affirmed in their turn the fpirit of conqueft ;
the endlefs column of Barbarians prefled on the Roman empire with
accumulated weight ; and, if the foremoft were deftroyed, the vacant
fpace was inftantly replenished by new aflTailants. Such formidable
emigrations no longer ifiue from the North ; and the long repofe,.
which has been imputed to the decreafe of population, is the happy
confequence of the progrefs of arts and agriculture Inftead of fome

2 rude

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

rude villages, thinly fcattered among its woods and morafies, Ger-
many now produces a lift of two thoufand three hundred walled towns :
the Chriftian kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden, and Poland have been
fucceffively eftablifhed ; and the Hanfe merchants, with the Teutonic
knights, have extended their colonies along the coaft of the Baltic, as
far as the Gulf of Finland. From the Gulf of Finland to the Eaftern
Ocean, Ruffia now aflumes the form of a powerful and civilifed
empire. The plough, the loom, and the forge are introduced on
the banks of the Volga, the Oby, and the Lena ; and the fierceft of
the Tartar hords have been taught to tremble and obey. The reign
of independent Barbarifm is now contracted to a narrow fpan ; and
the remnant of Calmucks or Uzbeks, whofe forces may be almoft
numbered, cannot ferioufly excite the apprehenfions of the great
republic of Europe 6. Yet this apparent fecurity mould not tempt
us to forget, that new enemies, and unknown dangers, may pojjibly
arife from fome obfcure people, fcarcely vifible in the map of the
world. The Arabs or Saracens, who fpread their conquefts from
India to Spain, had languifhed in poverty and contempt, till Mahomet
breathed into thofe favage bodies the foul of enthufiafm.

II. The empire of Rome was firmly eftablifhed by the fingular
and perfect coalition of its members. The fubject nations, refigning
the hope, and even the wifh, of independence, embraced the cha-
racter of Roman citizens ; and the provinces of the Weft were
reluctantly torn by the Barbarians from the bofom of their mother-
country 7. But this union was purchafed by the lofs of national

6 The French and Englifh editors of the Chinois, torn. i. p. 325 — 400.). But thefe

Genealogical Hiflory of the Tartars have conquefts are precarious, nor will I venture

lubjoined a curious, though imperfect, de- to enfure the fafety of the Chinefe empire,

fcription of their prefent ftate. We might 7 The prudent reader will determine how

queition the independence of the Calmucks, far this general proportion is weakened by

or Eluths, fince they have been recently van- the revolt of the Ifaurians, the independence

quifhed by the Chinefe, who, in the year of Britain and Armorica, the Moorifh tribes,

1759, fubdued the leiTer Bucharia, and ad- or the Bagaudze of Gaul and Spain (vol. i.

vanced into the country of Badakfhan, near p. 340. vol. iii. p. 273. 337. 434. ).
ihe fources of the Oxus (Memoires fur les

4 M 2 freedom

THE DECLINE AND FALL

freedom and military fpirit ; and the fervile provinces, deftitute of
life and motion, expected their fafety from the mercenary troops
and governors, w ho were directed by the orders of a diftant court.
The happinefs of an hundred millions depended on the perfonal
merit of one, or two, men, perhaps children, whofe minds were
corrupted by education, luxury, and defpotic power. The deepeft
wounds were inflicted on the empire during the minorities of the
fons and grandibns of Theodofius ; and, after thole incapable
princes feemed to attain the age of manhood, they abandoned the
church to the bilhops, the ftate to the eunuchs, and the provinces to
the Barbarians. Europe is now divided into twelve powerful, though
unequal, kingdoms, three refpectable commonwealths, and a variety
of fmaller, though independent, ftates : the chances of royal and
minifterial talents are multiplied, at leaft, with the number of its
rulers ; and a Julian, or Semiramis, may reign in the North, while
Arcadius and Honorius (lumber on the thrones of the houfe of
Bourbon. The abufes of tyranny are reftrained by the mutual in-
fluence of fear and lhame ; republics have acquired order and fta-
bility ; monarchies have imbibed the principles of freedom, or, at
leaft, of moderation ; and fome fenfe of honour and juftice is intro-
duced into the moft defective conftitutions by the general manners of
the times. In peace, the progrefs of knowledge and induftry is ac-
celerated by the emulation of fo many active rivals : in war, the
European forces are exercifed by temperate and undecifive contefts.
If a favage conqueror mould hTue from the deferts of Tartary, he
muft repeatedly vanquiih the robuft peafants of Ruflia, the nu-
merous armies of Germany, the gallant nobles of France, and the
intrepid freemen of Britain ; who, perhaps, might confederate for
their common defence. Should the victorious Barbarians carry
flavery and defolation as far as the Atlantic Ocean, ten tho'ufand
veflels would tranfport beyond their purfuit the remains of civilifed
. 6 fociety j

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

fociety ; and Europe would revive and flourish in the American
world, which is already rilled with her colonies, and institutions *.

III. Cold, poverty, and a life of danger and fatigue, fortify the
ftrength and courage of Barbarians. In every age they have op-
preffed the polite and peaceful nations of China, India, and Perfia,
who neglected, and ftill neglect, to counterbalance thefe natural
powers by the refources of military art. The warlike ftates of anti-
quity, Greece, Macedonia, and Rome, educated a race of loldiers ;
exercifed their bodies, difciplined their courage, multiplied their
forces by regular evolutions, and converted the iron, which they
pofTeffed, into ftrong and ferviceable weapons. But this fuperiority
infenfibly declined with their laws and manners ; and the feeble po-
licy of Conftantine and his fucceffors armed and inftructed, for the
ruin of the empire, the rude valour of the Barbarian mercenaries
The military art has been changed by the invention of gunpowder ;
which enables man to command the two mod powerful agents of
nature, air and fire. Mathematics, chymifhy, mechanics, archi-
tecture, have been applied to the fervice of war ; and the adverfe
parties oppofe to each other the moft elaborate modes of attack
and of defence. Historians may indignantly obferve, that the pre-
parations of a fiege would found and maintain a flourishing colony 9 j
yet we cannot be difpleafed, that the fubverfion of a city fhould be

* America now contains about fix millions
of European blood and defcent ; and their
numbers, at leaft in the North, are conti-
nually increafing. Whatever may be the
changes of their political fituation, they muft
preferve the manners of Europe ; and we may
reflect with fome pleafure, thr t the Englifli
language will probably be difFufed over an
immenfe and populous continent.

9 On avoit fait venir (for the fiege of Tu-
rin) 140 pieces de canon ; et il eft a remar-
quer que chaque gros canon monte revient a
environ 2000 ecus : il y avoit 1 10,000 boulets;

ic6,ooo cartouches d^une facon, et 300,000
d'une autre; 21,000 bombes ; 27,700 gre-
nades, 15,000 facs a terre, 30,000 infiru-
mens pour le pionnage; 1,200,000 livres de
poudre. Ajoutez a ces munitions, le plomb,
le fer, et le fer-blanc, les cordages, tout ce
qui fert aux mineurs, le fouphre, le fal-
petre, les outils de toute efpece. II eft cer-
tain que les frais de tcus ces preparatifs de
deftruclion fuffiroient pour fonder et pour
faire fleurir la plus nombreufe colonie. Vol-
taire, Siecle de Louis XIV. c. xx. in his
Works, torn. xi. p. 591.

a work

THE DECLINE AND FALL

a work of coft and difficulty ; or that an induftrious people fhould
"be protected by thofe arts, which furvive and fupply the decay of
military virtue. Cannon and fortifications now form an impregnable
barrier againfl the Tartar horfe ; and Europe is fecure from any
future irruption of Barbarians ; fince, before they can conquer,
they muft ceafe to be barbarous. Their gradual advances in the fcience
of war would always be accompanied, as we may learn from the
example of Ruffia, with a proportionable improvement in the arts of
peace and civil policy ; and they themfelves muft deferve a place
among the polifhed nations whom they lubdue.

Should thefe fpeculations be found doubtful or fallacious, there ftill
remains a more humble fource of comfort and hope. The difcoveries
of ancient and modern navigators, and the domeftic hiftory, or tra-
dition, of the moft enlightened nations, reprefent the human favage,
naked both in mind and body, and deftitute of laws, of arts, of
ideas, and almoft of language ,0. From this abject condition, per-
haps the primitive and univerfal ftate of man, he has gradually arifen
to command the animals, to fertilife the earth, to traverfe the
ocean, and to meafure the heavens. His progrefs in the improve-
ment and exercife of his mental and corporeal faculties " has been
irregular and various; infinitely flow in the beginning, and increafing
by degrees with redoubled velocity : ages of laborious afcent have
been followed by a moment of rapid downfal ; and the feveral

10 It would be an eafy, though tedious tafk, Fancy, or perhaps reafon, may ftill fuppofe

to produce the authorities of poets, philofo- an extreme and abfolute ftate of nature far

phers, and hiftorians. I fhaJl therefore content below the level of thefe favages, who had ac-

myfelf with appealing to the decifive and au- quired fome arts and inftruments.
thentic teftimony ofDiodorus Siculus (torn. i. »*• See the learned and rational work of the

Li. p. i !, 12. 1. iii. p. 184, &c. edit. Weflel- Prefident Goguet, de i'Origine desLoix, des

ing ). The I&hyophagi, who in his time wan- Arts et des Sciences. He traces from facts,

xlered along the mores of the Red Sea, can only or conjectures (torn. i. p. 147-337, edit.

*>e compared to the natives of New Holland i2mo.), the firft and moft difficult fteps of

■{Dampier's Voyages, vol. i. p. 464— 469.). human invention.

climates

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

climates of the globe have felt the viciintudes of light and darknefs.
Yet the experience of four thoufand years mould enlarge our hopes,
and diminifh our apprehenfions : we cannot determine to what
height the human fpecies may afpire in their advances towards per-
fection ; but it may fafely be prefumed, that no people, unlefs the
face of nature is changed, will relapfe into their original barbarifmo
The improvements of fociery may be viewed under a threefold
afpect. i . The poet or philofopher illuftrates his age and country
by the efforts of a fingle mind j but thefe fuperior powers of reafon
or fancy are rare and fpontaneous productions ; and the genius of
Homer, or Cicero, or Newton, would excite lefs admiration, if they
could be created by the will of a prince, or the leflons of a preceptor.
2. The benefits of law and policy, of trade and manufactures, of
arts and fciences, are more folid and permanent ; and many indivi-
duals may be qualified, by education and difcipline, to promote, in
their refpective flations, the intereft of the community. But this
general order is the effect of fkill and labour ; and the complex ma-
chinery may be decayed by time, or injured by violence. 3. For-
tunately for mankind, the more ufeful, or, at leaft, more neceffary
arts, can be performed without fuperior talents, or national fubor-
dination ; without the powers of one, or the union of many. Each
, village, each family, each individual, muft always poffefs both abi-
lity and inclination, to perpetuate the ufe of fire 11 and of metals y
the propagation and fervice of domeftic animals j the methods of
hunting and fifhing ; the rudiments of navigation ; the imperfect
cultivation of corn, or other nutritive grain ; and the fimple practice
of the mechanic trades. Private genius and public induftry may be

11 It is certain, however ftrange, that ma- ed any earthen veffels capable of fuftaining
ny nations have been ignorant of the ufe of the action of fire, and of communicating the
fire Even the ingenious natives of Otaheite, heat to the liquids which they contain,
who aredeltitute of metals, have not invent-

extirpated £

THE DECLINE AND FALL, &c.

extirpated ; but thefe hardy plants furvive the tempeft, and ftrike
an everlafting root into the moil unfavourable foil. The fplendid
days of Auguftus and Trajan were eclipfed by a cloud of igno-
rance ; and the Barbarians fubverted the laws and palaces of Rome.
But the fcythe, the invention or emblem of Saturn ftill continued
annually to mow the harvefts of Italy ; and the human feafts of the
Laeftrigons 14 have never been renewed on the coaft of Campania.

Since the nrft difcovery of the arts, war, commerce, and reli-
gious zeal have diffufed, among the favages of the Old and New
World, thefe ineftimable gifts : they have been fucceffively propa-
gated ; they can never be loft. We may therefore acquiefce in the
pleafing conclufion, that every age of the world has increafed, and
Hill increafes, the real wealth, the happinefs, the knowledge, and
perhaps the virtue, of the human race'5.

13 Plutarch. Quaelt. Rom in torn. ii. p. 275. ticifm ; and the intcrcourfe of nations has pro-

Macrob. Saturnal. 1. i. c. 8. p. 152. edit- duced the communication of difeafe and pre-

London. The arrival of Saturn (of his re. judice. A fingular exception is due to the

llgious worihip) m a Ihip, may indicate, that virtue of our own times and country. Thefive

the favage coalt of Latium was firil difcovered great voyages fucceffively undertaken by the

and civilifcd by the Phoenicians. command of his prefent Majefty, were in-

,+ In the ninth and tenth bocks of the fpired by the pure and generous love of fci-

Odyfl'ey, Homer has embellifhed the tales of ence and of mankind. The fame prince,

fearful and credulous failors, who tranf- adapting his benefactions to the different

formed the cannibals of Italy and Sicily into ftages of fociety, has founded a fchool of

monllrous giants. painting in his capital ; and has introduced

" The merit of difcovery has too often into the iflands of the South Sea, the vege-

been ftained with avarics, cruelty, and fana- tables and animals moll ufeful to human life.

END OF THE THIRD VOLUME.

ERRATA,

VOL. III.

note

94-

line

1 OO.

1-2 2 •

1 64*

7i,
/T*

^79*

text

note

I IO.

25;.

I4O.

256.

M4-

310.

59-

354-

366.

21.

368.

25.

382.

413.

text

422.

note

5*'

496.

122.

501.

134.

507.

542.

103.

585.

69.

516.

text

575-

49'

586.

72-

588.

75-

592.

87.

5-95-

94-

612..

text

3-
2.

5-
6.

5-
18.

6.
1.
6.
10.
18.
2.
2.
2.
8.

3-
2.

4-
I.

3-
6.

4-
9-
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12,
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17-

y«r Timefius read Timafiu;?

ybr le r. la

Graiofque </?/. the comma'

for Kahn r«/i</ Kuhn

fcr Florentina r. Fiorentina

for Honorious r. Honorius

/or Lutheranifnae r. Lutheranifmo-

for Goquet r. Goguet

for Porti r. Porto

for Eudocia r. Eudoxia

for Thevrocz r. Thwrocz

/or t r. to

/or as r. us

/or Toncal r. Toncat

for Singiban r. Sangiban

for S^uittenio r. Squittinio

/or T£3C$E TO T. Tfa^£!>TO$.

/or Caefina r. Caecina

read^Arura autem erantei trecentas uberes, et valde"
optima? (Vit. Patr. 1. i. p. 36). If the- Arur&
be, &c.

for Adrumetam read Adrnmetum
for Agebard r. Agobard
for bur r. but
for foch r. fuch
for Homeria, r. Homeric.
13. for to family r. to the family
for though r. through
for Ergaftalis r. Ergaftulis
for paople r. people

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Full text of "The history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire / by Edward Gibbon, Esq. ; volume the first[-sixth]"

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